Vermont soldier's wife fired for blogging?

On Tuesday, Sarah, co-author of Roger's Blog, joined the growing ranks of people who have been fired from their jobs for blogging. This is still novel enough that it's a newsworthy event, but in this case it's doubly so, because Sarah's husband is a Vermont National Guard soldier  currently stationed in Iraq.  The blog that they co-author chronicles their experiences during Roger's deployment. Roger writes about life on the ground in Iraq, Sarah writes about what it's like without her husband on the homefront.

Last week, in a post I linked to here, Sarah wrote about how she asked her employer to chip in to help her send Roger's bike to him in Iraq, for his birthday. She writes that she thought her boss would say yes, since he'd supported similar things in the past. Instead, he hemmed and hawed, which upset her. So she blogged about it, without naming him, or the company she worked for; Sarah and Roger do not even give their last names on the blog.

This is what Sarah wrote about her encounter with her boss:

[He said] that first he had to “think” about it and discuss it with his business partner (even though I’ve seen him make other financial decisions – without needing such discussion –such as matching a collection for a wedding gift or for sending flowers or a donation for a death). Then, he had to “lecture” me about how even though he’s the boss, he’s not made of money and how it was a lot of money (my original estimate was $75-100 based on what the bike shop told me). He also had to tell me how the money the company could give for such things comes straight from his pocket and how that’s ballet, violin, horse, and piano lessons for his kids. And that his suffering about his father with Alzheimer’s is more painful than my suffering about Roger. In short, it was very unpleasant. I felt like a beggar child, humiliated for asking for support from a place where I’ve dedicated much of my time and energy.

Final answer was that the company (begrudgingly) would pay $35 toward the shipping costs. I’m not one to participate in head games or be stubborn to spite myself but I honestly felt that I couldn’t accept this contribution under the circumstances. It was quite clear to me that unless the offer of support was his idea, not mine, then it doesn’t have validity and I’m just a mooch, not a soldier’s wife honestly seeking support where I thought it would be. So, I quietly paid the shipping costs then sent an e-mail to my boss letting him know that I didn’t expect my request to generate such an unpleasant situation and that I didn’t realize the money would present such a hardship (the word he used, not me). And that I would not be asking for support from the company again.

In a phone conversation a couple hours ago, Sarah told me that when her boss fired her on Tuesday, he led her to believe that it was because of this blog post. She says the same in a post Tuesday titled You're Fired. She had just been promoted in May, and had worked for the company for 8 years. True, her account is pretty frank, and should probably have been self-censored. But if that's really why she was fired, did she deserve it? That seems harsh.

In that conversation, Sarah was reluctant to give me the name of the company, because she's already spoken to Sam Hemingway of the Burlington Free Press about her story, and hopes that he will write about it. When he does, I'll feel free to post her last name, and will be happy to post a response from her employer.

Maybe she can sue. That's how Ellen Simonetti, formerly of Delta Airlines, is handling her blog-related dismissal.

It's also worth noting that her husband posted about this situation on their blog:

I wanted so badly to jump on a plane and go to her and put my arms around her. This is of course not possible and the Army will not allow it. This makes it all the more frustrating. The next time you want to complain about the inconveniences of air travel, remember the simple freedom of being able to do so. As a civilian you can get on a plane, train, automobile, and go to your loved ones who need you. I'd be sent to prison for such a simple act. Never take your freedom for granted and never give it up.

I simply wanted to serve my country in my own country one weekend a month, two weeks a year and certainly more if I was really needed. Instead I've been sent to a foreign land to help secure a city of ungrateful angry people who want me dead. The people of New Orleans could certainly use my help and would be grateful to have it. I've been denied my home temporarily, my freedom, my wife has lost her job as a result, I've lost the ability to comfort my wife in person, and the ability to help my fellow Americans who really need it.

It is not worth it. 

I'm guessing this is not just a local story.