Marines limit death notices from 5 a.m. to midnight

[babylonsister]

How very considerate of them. :-(

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=45457

Marines limit death notices from 5 a.m. to midnight

By Jeff Schogol, and Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, April 29, 2007

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps is putting time restrictions on when families can be notified that their loved ones are missing or have been killed.

Instead of notifying families at any time of the day or night, notifications will now take place between the hours of 5 a.m. and midnight, according to a recent MARADMIN (Marine Administrative Message).

At the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Corps decided to let family members know if their loved ones became combat casualties as soon as possible so they did not hear about it first from the news media, Corps officials said in an e-mailed response to questions Friday.

But after a forum this January on how to streamline practices to support wounded and fallen Marines, Corps officials decided to go the old standard of limiting notifications between 5 a.m. and midnight “so that clergy, other family members, neighbors and community support programs are accessible to survivors,” officials said.

more...

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

1. they needed a forum to tell them that?

[Breeze54]

2. Well, having support there; when they hear the bad news

is probably a humane thing to do but when my son was there, I hardly ever slept.
I was up all hours of the day and night for over a year. Talk about stress.
So, I would have wanted to know asap. Besides, priests, etc. will go out
at night when someone dies or is dying to give last rites.

Don't spare me the wee hours. I'm already wide awake....

[BOSSHOG]

3. I've had to go knock at doors and tell family members

they've lost a loved ones. Three oclock in the morning is not appropriate. Regardless of the misadventures of this most evil and reckless of administrations, a modicum of consideration for families of deceased service members is in order.

The Marine Corps is not killing Marines, bush and cheney and limbaugh and hannity are. Please, do not ever forget that.

[Breeze54]

4. Police knock on doors at 3 AM when kids are killed in auto accidents.

Don't they? What's the difference?

As a parent, I'd want to know right away.

That's MY KID! Ya know?

[BOSSHOG]

5. Please forgive me

When your children are slaughtered because of the lies of a republican, I'll do the appropriate thing and email you or maybe leave a note on your door. Whats's the difference? Proximity? Kid in car wreck - within a 20 mile radius? Kid in Iraq - thousands of miles away. Fuck me for caring! I guess I'll just shit can my 24 years of service to our country because you are offended.

[Breeze54]

6. What are you swearing at me for??

Do what you want!! The mileage doesn't make any difference, IMHO.

There are actually phones and computers in Iraq now and military and police here in the states.

I wasn't giving you any shit. I just gave you my opinion.

I'm sure, you doing that job was stressful.

[BOSSHOG]

7. Your "opinion" being

service members should roust you out of bed instead of waiting until the morning? And when one who serves their country knocks on that door, they don't go alone because of god knows what kind of reaction they are going to get from who answers the door. Those in uniform do the mission that civilian leadership tells them to do. And yes it was extremely stressful. I could rant on about bush and his failed policies but I'd rather ask citizens to think kindly of the ground troops who take the shit, and will take the shit in the future when those responsible for this Iraq debacle are long gone.

Do what I want? I did what I was instructed to do in a proud and professional manner because I had a deep love of those who died whether I knew them or not. I had no desire to roust a loved one out of bed at three in the morning to give them the bad news.

Perspective. Go ahead and piss on a vet for a three hour window that would make zero difference in plans or logistics.

[Breeze54]

8. MY SONS ARE VETERANS!!!!!!

As are my brothers and my ex-husband!!!!!!!!!!

FU!!!!!!