The year was 1987, and as a young, ambitious Lieutenant, I found myself navigating the complex terrain of military law. My office started the 20th Century as a horse stall for the 3rd Cavalry. Now, instead of mucking out horse manure, I dispensed legal wisdom to soldiers. One could argue that not much had changed.
I should note that soldiers can be the most inventive and creative people alive. Also, the most naïve and at times really dim. Until this day, I didn’t realize how dim.
One particular day, as I was meticulously organizing case files, a young soldier, barely 19, from the rural stretches of Arkansas, stepped into my office. His face, etched with confusion and a tinge of distress, caught my attention immediately. Clutching a crumpled piece of paper in his hand, he approached my desk with a hesitant stride.
“I just got this here paper that says I gotta support my wife, and the state is gonna take money from me,” he stammered, handing me the document.
Upon examining the paper, it became clear to me. It was an official notice from the Department of Social Services of Arkansas, stating that his wife was receiving welfare benefits. As a result, since he was employed, the state intended to deduct a portion of his earnings to recuperate the welfare costs. I patiently explained this to him, outlining the legalities in a manner he could comprehend.
However, the soldier shook his head vehemently, his youthful face contorted in disbelief. “That ain’t right, Sir. I ain’t married to that woman no more. I divorced her,” he declared with a sense of finality.
Surprised by his claim, I advised him to procure a copy of the divorce judgment and send it to the Department of Social Services in Arkansas to rectify the situation. But his next revelation left me momentarily speechless.
“It weren’t like that, Sir,” he said, his voice tinged with a mix of defiance and naivety. “The marriage wasn’t working, so I just tore up that ol’ marriage contract.”
Struggling to maintain my professional composure, I explained, with as much empathy as I could muster, that merely tearing up a marriage license does not constitute a legal divorce. I informed him that, in the eyes of the law, he was still married to the woman in question and would therefore be liable to reimburse the state for any welfare benefits paid out to her.
The soldier’s expression, now a blend of realization and dismay, mirrored the complexity of his predicament. “I understand, Sir, but it ain’t right,” he lamented, his voice a mix of resignation and confusion. “I don’t know what I’m gonna tell my wife.”
