False!
I am not an expert on this...this is just my understand about things.
1. You can file to vacate the judgement based on two things -
a) you were not served, therefore the judgment should be invalid
b) you were overseas at the time in a combat zone (?)
2. If the debt is valid, you need to pay the original debt asap. Being overseas does not excuse you from paying bills. It just makes it harder. When I say original debt, I am referring to what the debt was without legal fees/court costs/added interest since the court date. But note, if were late before you deployed, then your case is weaker for leniency.
If this was me, I would immediately go for vacating the judgment. (This would get it removed from your credit report eventually with some work.) Then I would work with the creditor to get the debt paid of asap. (You can even start to work with them now.)
I understand things are tough when you are deployed. When DH first deployed, all payments were done by mail. He accidently packed the Lowe's payment with him and had to mail from over there. It was marked "late" on the CR and the creditor refuses to budge. That was the ONLY late he had ever had with them. We choose not to use their credit card. The same thing happened with another credit. Again, we won't give them our business.
Check your PM.
