Military Farewell Costs Elgin Postal Worker Employee Disciplined for Seeing off Relative in the Service

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Byline: Tom O'Konowitz Daily Herald Staff Writer

When Shar Swanson of Elgin found out her Air Force sergeant son- in-law from California was being deployed overseas, she immediately asked her boss for a few days off to see him and her pregnant daughter before he left.

Now she's paying for it.

A mail carrier based at the Elgin post office for nine years, Swanson took off work Thursday, Friday and Saturday - March 13 through 15 - to say goodbye to her son-in-law and offer support to her daughter, also an Air Force sergeant, who had just found out she's pregnant.

More than a week earlier Swanson had asked to use her vacation time for the days off, …