KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two Kansas City-area women are fighting to get their children back after serving their country overseas.

When Dena Stephenson went off to war, her 6-year-old daughter, Kristina, went to stay with her father. Stephenson followed the military's Family Care Plan, which gave temporary power of attorney and guardianship of her child to the father.

"Once I came back from deployment, naturally, my child wanted to be with me nonstop," Stephenson said.

Stephenson said she was supposed to get Kristina back when she returned home, but now the girl's father is asking for 50-50 custody.

"I don't agree with that as a parenting plan. I don't think it's healthy for the child and I've already missed a year of her life," Stephenson said. "It hurts me that he's trying to do this, and in the long run, I think it's going to hurt her, too."

Regina Ellis is going through a similar experience. She was deployed overseas for a year, and she also followed the Family Care Plan. Now that she's back, Ellis has lost custody of her son, Trevor.

This month, her ex-husband gained full-time custody, and Ellis said she sees Trevor only every other weekend.

"It's not just us and it's not just the Army and it's not just females -- this is military-wide, and it hurts," Ellis said.

Both Ellis and Stephenson are fighting their cases in court this spring.

KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Mo., reported that a law passed in 2003 is supposed to protect soldiers in war zones from civil lawsuits until they return. But now that law is being challenged in Kansas courts.

There is also a case pending before the Kansas Supreme Court about a Marine who lost custody of his son while he was in Iraq.

"If I'd never been deployed to Iraq, I don't think we'd be going through this," Stephenson said.

A spokeswoman at Fort Riley said returning soldiers are offered re-entry counseling, but no legal assistance in civil matters.