The Price of Military Justice

A Mother’s Fight Against the System

The military. It’s supposed to be about honor, discipline, and protecting the freedoms we all take for granted. But what happens when the system turns on its own? When the people sworn to defend the Constitution suddenly find themselves abandoned, chewed up, and spit out by the machine?

Felicia Cavanagh knows that feeling too well. March 4 marked two years since the worst day of her life. Two years since her daughter, Sgt. First Class Allison Baile

y was swallowed whole by the Nevada National Guard’s disciplinary process, chewed up, and left for dead.

“There are no words … losing a child. There are no words,” Cavanagh said.

Bailey, a 34-year-old mother of two, had been a model soldier. Then, she wasn’t.

Then, she got accused of harassment. Then, she was out.

Six weeks later, her body gave out—her heart and lungs failed. Seventeen years of service, and in the end, it counted for nothing.

At her funeral, Cavanagh promised, “I will pursue the truth … no matter how long it takes.”

And she has.

She’s been fighting since 2023. Not for herself—her daughter is gone.

But for every guard member who still wears the uniform, who might one day find themselves crushed under the same bureaucratic boot. She found an ally in Nevada Senator Lisa Krasner, who agreed to push Senate Bill 95.

The bill is simple. It closes a loophole.

It gives Nevada National Guard members the right to demand a court-martial instead of being railroaded through the Guard’s internal disciplinary process—where the military gets to play judge, jury, and executioner. Nevada is one of only six states where guardsmen don’t have this right.

Bailey knew what was happening to her was wrong. In 2020, she tried to blow the whistle on what she called a toxic, bullying environment in her unit. But instead of fixing the problem, the Guard turned the problem into her.

They hit her with the military discipline’s internal kangaroo court. An Article 15

A couple of dozen accusations. “Pattern of misconduct,” they called it.

Inappropriate relationships, disobeying orders, late for muster. It was a hit list.

She fought back. She made a video diary and sent clips to her mother.

“The last video she sent me literally was, ‘Mom, I’m going to spend the rest of my life working on this because it’s wrong.’”

But she didn’t have a lifetime to give.

Sexually assaulted by another soldier, Bailey filed a complaint. It went nowhere. The investigation was closed–“insufficient evidence,” they said.

But the disciplinary process against her? That one went all the way. She was demoted, kicked out, and slapped with an “Other than Honorable” discharge.

Dr. Dwight Stirling, a former JAG officer, wasn’t surprised. He’s seen it before.

“The Nevada National Guard can simply predetermine the winner and the loser,” he said. “Then they can write a script that will manipulate the system in a way to get to that outcome.”

Chris Tinsman, Bailey’s assigned military attorney, agreed.

“Not having a process for soldiers to have their day in court is just unacceptable on a constitutional level.”

The Guard, of course, says Bailey got “due process.” Claiming she had a fair shake.

Krasner isn’t buying it.

“This is not equal justice when a member of the National Guard does not have the ability to get a full and fair hearing.”

She’s pushing forward with SB 95, but the Guard isn’t supporting the bill. They say they’re “not for or against it,” but they made sure to attach a price tag—$1.16 million a year.

“Even one court-martial drains resources from the state,” they said in an email.

So now the argument isn’t whether guardsmen deserve due process but whether the state should pay for it. The money, they say, could go to firefighting, disaster relief, and other emergency needs.

Justice, it seems, is just too damn expensive.

But then there’s Dana Grigg, a retired NV Guard JAG officer, calling bullshit on the fiscal note. That the numbers don’t add up, that the Guard is inflating costs–misrepresenting facts.

Why? Maybe because they like things the way they are. And because giving soldiers rights means giving up a little power.

The Nevada National Guard says it hasn’t had a court-martial in nearly 30 years. From 2015 to 2019, when soldiers had the right to request one, not a single one was held.

So why fight so hard against giving them the option now? What are they so afraid of?

Maybe it’s the same thing Bailey feared—a whole system rigged, and the people in charge don’t want accountability. Those who speak up and fight back will be left broken.

Felicia Cavanagh’s not broken yet. She’s still fighting and won’t stop.

Because justice, no matter the fucking cost, is worth more than silence.