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26-YEAR OLD ORDERED BY ARMY TO REPORT FOR 5TH WAR DEPLOYMENT
AMY DRISCOLL, MIAMI HERALD - Erik Botta believes he's done right by his
country. Days after 9/11, as a young Army reservist, he volunteered to
go to war. He was soon in Afghanistan. The next year, he was sent out
again, this time to Iraq, part of a Special Operations team. In the next
two years, he was sent to Iraq again. And again. He thought he was done.
But now, the Army wants Sgt. Botta one more time.
The 26-year-old Port St. Lucie man has been ordered to report to Fort
Jackson, S.C., on July 15 for his fifth deployment. And that has
compelled Botta, a first-generation American who counts himself a quiet
patriot, to do something he never thought he'd do: sue the Army. . .
Nearly seven years into his eight-year commitment to the reserves, the
personal costs are higher for Botta. He could lose his home. His job at
Sikorsky, working on the Black Hawk military helicopter, could be on the
line. He's halfway to his electrical engineering degree, planning a
career in defense work, but his professors say he'll suffer a
significant setback if he is deployed. He doesn't mention the danger
another deployment would bring, but his wife and parents do. . .
In a lawsuit he expects to file this week in federal court in Florida,
Botta says he will ask for an exemption or delay so that he can complete
his engineering studies. He will also ask the court to prevent the Army
from requiring him to report for duty until the legal questions are
settled.
http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/163895.html
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26-YEAR OLD ORDERED BY ARMY TO REPORT FOR 5TH WAR DEPLOYMENT
AMY DRISCOLL, MIAMI HERALD - Erik Botta believes he's done right by his
country. Days after 9/11, as a young Army reservist, he volunteered to
go to war. He was soon in Afghanistan. The next year, he was sent out
again, this time to Iraq, part of a Special Operations team. In the next
two years, he was sent to Iraq again. And again. He thought he was done.
But now, the Army wants Sgt. Botta one more time.
The 26-year-old Port St. Lucie man has been ordered to report to Fort
Jackson, S.C., on July 15 for his fifth deployment. And that has
compelled Botta, a first-generation American who counts himself a quiet
patriot, to do something he never thought he'd do: sue the Army. . .
Nearly seven years into his eight-year commitment to the reserves, the
personal costs are higher for Botta. He could lose his home. His job at
Sikorsky, working on the Black Hawk military helicopter, could be on the
line. He's halfway to his electrical engineering degree, planning a
career in defense work, but his professors say he'll suffer a
significant setback if he is deployed. He doesn't mention the danger
another deployment would bring, but his wife and parents do. . .
In a lawsuit he expects to file this week in federal court in Florida,
Botta says he will ask for an exemption or delay so that he can complete
his engineering studies. He will also ask the court to prevent the Army
from requiring him to report for duty until the legal questions are
settled.
http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/163895.html
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