Soldiers have NO communication with family for months at a time, with a few getting satellite call privileges if they aren't in the field. This mutli-multi millionaire can talk to his child anytime he wants, can charter a plane and see his kid anytime he wants. He is exaggerating, and full of shit
Basically acting in a courtroom to get people to side with him.
I know this is an old post, but I want to take the opportunity to point out the inaccuracy of your statements. I served for 13 years active duty, and a total coming up on 16 years including reserve time this coming February. I have been on multiple combat deployments and many more non-combat deployments to 3rd world countries from periods of a few months to a few years. Some of those include Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Philippines, East Timor, etc, etc, etc. I speak from a place of experience when I say that even back in the late 90's us military personnel deployed overseas have had pretty decent access to communications back home. In virtually every place I have traveled while under orders, I have had enough access to call back home at least twice a week, if I felt like it. Hell, nowadays soldiers have their own local cell phones in Afghanistan and can literally text directly back home at any time they want. Calls are a bit expensive, but still quite manageable.
I don't have any qualms with a father having compared his job making him travel away from his child for months at a time to that of a military service-member having done a similar thing. From a parental aspect alone, I feel it is the same thing; and I believe that is what Tom Cruise was speaking toward in his deposition. Analogizing the similarities between two related things in order to offer a more clear context of familial struggles and actually claiming them to be one and the same are worlds apart.