Yet another Army spouse learned of her husband’s downrange death through Facebook when a female Soldier in his platoon sent her a message saying there was an emergency and asking the spouse to call her.
“She told me over the phone, right in front of my kids and I completely had a meltdown,” Ariell Taylor-Brown told a Columbus, Ohio NBC affiliate. “She wasn’t supposed to but I guess she took it on her own power to do it.”
Just hours later the notification team came to her Mobile, Ala. door. Her husband, Staff Sgt. Christopher Brown, was deployed out of Fort Carson. He had been downrange a week before his April 3 death. The couple has two small children and Ariell said she is about 11 weeks pregnant with their third.
Can you imagine?
The last time this happened (that we know of) Army wife Megan Born found out from fellow spouses who either ignored or simply did not know the notification rules and disregarded common sense. Megan lived several hours from a military base in a rural area, and it took the notification team extra time to get to her.
Ariell, however, received the news from a soldier. A soldier who absolutely had to have known better. A soldier who, by her actions, purposefully disregarded a system steeped in honor and ceremony to notify a spouse over the phone.
“It was a horrible way for me to find out. She didn’t even give me a chance. I could have been driving and I could have harmed myself learning this,” Ariell told NBC.
In the past we have wondered whether, in light of the speed of information over social networking, a review of the military’s notification system may be warranted.
Take our poll: should the notification process be changed?
But I don’t think that is the solution at all. Is it really too much to expect that those who should know better — especially fellow servicemembers — just show a little decency and respect?
About Amy Bushatz
Comments
Unbelieveable! No, it's not too much to expect people to show decency and respect. This soldier needs to get hammered for this. I feel so horrible for Ariell, for her loss and for how she found out. I realize that media and technology have increased in importance, but maybe the military needs to rethink the accessibility in war zones. I would hate to not be able to hear from my husband frequently during a deployment, but since people find it acceptable to be the first to put the news out there, I would accept limited contact if it would prevent this type of thing from happening in the future.
if it didnt take the military days to sometimes weeks to notify a family,maybe the soldiers wouldnt feel they had to. I do agree that the soldier should have made sure the spouse was sitting someplace safe and away from her children.
i am a military wife and have had friends and friends spouse K.I.A,it took the military 2 weeks to notify my friends Alice,she found out when someone from the platoon sent flowers.Another friend found out the day they were sopposed to be coming home,she was standing in the field waiting for her husband who had been killed 4 days before.
we live in a very small military town,it doesnt makes since why it takes them sometimes days to make a simple phone call.
Thats right all these spouses get is a phone call from a 2 bird saying how sorry he is,and hat a great honor it was.
I'm sorry but i would rathe hear it from my spouse brothers then from someone who's never met him,and sits safly behind a desk making phone calls all day.
It's not a matter if they "fell they had to." What this Sodier did was just wrong and in disobedience of establisthe directives. hammer her to the fullest extent.
Sorry, but I find that hard to believe. From what I have seen, the Army does its best to notify in a speedy manner. However, often enough spouses and families fail to inform Rear D when they leave or move, making the process for the notification much more difficult than it has to be for them. I'm not saying we need to let them know where we are every minute of the day, but it helps to let them know when you leave town for a while or move…and I don't buy the phone call thing either.
then you're not educating yourself about this system. Learn about it, rethink, and make you comment again. That is completely incorrect and you are spreading falsehood.
I’m calling ******** on some of these stories. Death notification are made within 24 hours and are always made in person
I’m calling BS on some of these stories. Death notification are made within 24 hours and are always made in person.
They have 72 hours to notify family. This time is used to confirm report and brief the team as well as getting the team to the family. If you think about it it’s pretty fast in comparison
I call BS on this post. Quit spreading lies.
Family is notified within 24 hrs every time unless the family cannot be found. It is always done immediately. There is no excuse for this
Family is notified within 24 hrs every time unless the family cannot be found. It is always done immediately. I am a chaplain in the army and I have accompanied 6 death notifications. Never and I mean never is a family member notified over the phone. It is done with care, professionalism and face to face.
There's been enough grief here.
Going on a witch hunt after someone who was acting completely from innocent motives is wrong-headed. Don't add more misery to the situation.
You people are looking for demons where there are none.
The wife should smack her as soon as they get back. That soldier should then be dishonorably discharged. By her actions there is nothing honorable about her.
Maybe you could ask that soldier what her motives were for contacting the wife as soon as possible. Or are you in such a rush to judge that you wouldn't even investigate before declaring guilt?
Has it occurred to you that she was acting out of concern? Or are you only acting out of concern if you let the slow wheels of the army grind along?
In regards to this Gossip Monger who called this young wife, she should get prison time.
"Life is tough, it's even tougher when you're stupid."
Sgt.Styker USMC (John Wayne)
"Sands of Iwo Jima"
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! In this day and age in this environment people use Facebook and all these other social medias for things they shouldn't. This soldier should be reprimanded circumventing proper procedures for such action.
It looks to me like the person using Facebook actually cared.
I cannot believe this,this is so wrong,nobody should tell a spouse this until they are told to do so and only face to face. never on Facebook or any thing like that.
This is insane! I am a female soldier myself, and YES we have rules to follow and I can't believe this female soldier was stupid enough to do something like that. I feel horrible for what this poor woman is going through, I couldn't imagine anyone finding out that their spouse is gone that way. I can only hope that the idiot that was so thoughtless in her actions gets her ass reamed! Noone should EVER EVER find out about the passing of their loved one in such a way! I know how important facebook and all the other ways to talk to people back home are for us when we are away. But it really takes a very ignorant person to do what this soldier has done to this wife of a fallen hero!!!!!! Hearing something like that is absolutely devistating and she deserved to hear this through the proper channels and atleast to her face and not over the phone. This just pisses me off to no end to know how thoughtless some people can be.
Let's be clear: whether or not this is a female Soldier is completely irrelevant. Male or female — a servicemember should use their brain.
By the way — to the person who reported my comment above and wanted me to ask … me … if I'm the spouse of a servicemember, etc. Um, yes, yes I am. And I also wrote the above post. But thanks for the concern.
I am shocked I cannot believe how this happened once again. But this time from a servicemember who should know better then everyone else. It is just not right to take it into your own hands to notify a family member. And over the phone ?? Where is the physical support ? Where is the shoulder to lean on ? It makes me so angry because if this god forbid would happen to me I would be so angry and hurt for sharing a private message over the phone without knowing how to comfort me and being trained to do such a call.
I had an aunt recently learn of the death of her own sister via facebook. 1 of my cousins posted "RIP mom, love you", within minutes of his mothers death. Not the best way to tell family members. Stop, think, posy should be emblazoned above all posting buttons.
This is absolutely disgraceful, and disrespectful that this soldier did this to the fallen comrades wife. How dare she? It's not her business, or her place to disregard rules and take action on her own, esp on a VERY sensitive matter such as this. I hope she is severely punished in whatever fashion they deem necessary.
I truly feel for Mrs. Brown, and her children. This is a great loss to their family, and our country. To have the honor , and tradition stripped from her because this idiotic soldier couldn't keep her mouth shut really makes me mad.
The ARMY needs to take immediate action and review it's casualty notification procedures. There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to have access to this information and then be able to communicate with the widow or family prior to the official party providing proper notification. The discussion needs to focus on the process … There is something terribly wrong with the Army process. This is the second time … unforgiveable.
@ Diane, the Army has a process in place for notification that is effective. The problem here is that the access to digital media is faster than the verification process. Further the difference in time zones makes it difficult to notify a spouse during the duty day. For example while it is 3:00pm in Iraq in the US it is the middle of the night. DOD has a policy of not notifying next of kin during the hours of 1800 – 0600.
Further the verification process takes a bit of time and that is to ensure the wrong people are not notified, in other words the SGLI address is correct and up to date as possible. There are times when they have to contact the unit to make sure the spouse is not out of town. If the spouse is out fo town the notification can take longer too. When I was a rear detachment commander in Germany we asked the spouses to provide an address of their location during visits sated side. It was not mandatory but they all agreed that it is better to know than let the wrong person get notified.
This isn't the Army's fault. The soldier knew because she worked with him. What she did is on her and no
one else. She knew better. Bust her back to Pvt.
Forget busting her to Private; she should be kicked out. The Army is already downsizing, so why keep her in so she can be even more of a security breach. What an idiot!
She most likely had access to the information because she was there….not much helping that. The system works, when it is adhered to.
When soldiers violate lawful orders and circumvent the system is what leads to this. The soldier will almost certainly be punished severely.
Hi Diane,
Whoever notified this spouse was not acting on behalf of the Army. Many times, fellow soldiers do know of deaths prior to the family because we are with the soldier at the time of death. We all know that we are not to contact the family because there are procedures (strict procedures) in place. These occurances stem from people who for some reason have the desire to thrust themselves into a process that does not involve them. Please don't blame the Army, just the stupid soldiers that blatantly broke protocol.
When I was a First Sergeant I was taught the proper way to notify a family member of the death of a loved one. While I understand that the soldier probably did what they did out of respect for the soldier, they still did it in the wrong manner. One of the things they teach you as a First Sergeant is that the unit must go black. That means no communications out unless authorized by the Commander. I believe that this soldier should be hammered, but the units leadership also needs to be reviewed.
I recall MANY "commo black-outs" on my deployments. All cell phones had to be turned in, the "morale phones" were turned off, and all internet was shut down. Just having the means to communicate with home during a "commo black-out" was grounds for an automatic Field Grade Article 15.
The "proper way" is purely subjective.
A person is dead. God hasn't told us that this way or that way is better or worse. He only says to care.
Why was there not a communications blackout so this soldier COULDN'T call the wife? In my husband's unit – communication is COMPLETELY cut off until the family is notified so things like this don't happen. Is that a 100% guarantee? No – but it makes it easier to find the problem and deal with it. They did have one case where a soldier WALKED to another FOB, borrowed a phone from someone and called his wife and told her a guy from the unit had been killed. She THANKFULLY did not post the name on FB but did post that there was an "emergency" and got every other wife in the unit in a complete panic. That soldier was RFSd and his wife was called in to the cmdr's office and told how her actions had affected the unit. They were made an example of and the unit didn't have any more OPSEC issues for the rest of the deployment. You HAVE to hold people responsible when they do something stupid – I'm hoping this female soldier gets what she deserves.
The process to blackout social media/phones IMMEDIATELY needs to happen faster. It should be the first thought of the command–instantaneous.
We are forgetting that use of social media and phones is not a right , but a privledge. I don't see anything wrong with implementing strict control of internet and phone use in a war zone. During the gulf war we all got by with letters and the occasional phone call made on a community phone. Why should we bend to the media monster that is creating people who can't live without their internet or their phones. What's wrong with just saying "NO".
Yes, but I also think cell phone downrange needs to be banned and I am not understanding WHY when something happens internet is not being shut down immediately? As you said, it should be instantaneous. When word is out there is a situation it should be cut.
@ Heather,
When I was deploy there wasa policy of shuting down the internet and phones. I think this is the case here as well. What has happened in the past is some people do still have access to internt in the TOC for example. But no matter what I do comkpletely agree that the soldiers should exercise better jugment.
This does seem to be an issue of miscommunication between garriosn, the command group and leadership all around. IN fact I woudl submitt that it was on several levels. Bottom line though is the human factor is something that will reamin a systemic probelm in our military. By our very nature we are compelled to help and in our best efforts we want to do whats right. But offten this is the result of human behavior.
v/r
Al D'Adda
We as a nation have a trust with our defenders. In turn our defenders have a trust with us. They trust that should they give their lives we will treat their families as we would our own. The soldier who did this is not fit to wear the same uniform as Mrs. Taylor-Browns late husband.
Every wife/mother friend or family of a deployed soldier knows that it is possible that they will get the dreaded car in the driveway. They also know that if it happens they will not be alone, they will have the support of the Army/Nation behind them. This Soldier denied Mrs. Taylor Brown of that support. With a facebook post she forever changed several lives. This is an unforgivable act. This soldier breached the trust of a Nation.
Because she is in the Army she is the Army, this soldiers lack of compassion reflects upon the Army that she is a member of, It reflects upon our nation as a whole. The only uniform she needs to be allowed to wear is orange, with a number on it.
Someone's gonna lose a stripe here….
Forget losing stripes; she needs to lose her Army career. Put her out on the streets and let her blab to her heart's content.
It's a lack of common sense. How stupid can you be to tell someone over the internet or even through the phone that the persons loved one died. Thats why we have military messengers to do their job of properly telling the spouse or family member that your son/daughter was killed in action or however they died. The "Oh they didn't know excuse" is just pathetic and these people who do this should be punished for being unproffesional. I usually dont get all worked up over dumb mistakes but this one is very serious because it isn't the right way. This isn't Vietnam where you recieve a Western Union telegram, we learned why this isn't a proper way to tell someone their significant other has died and it's pathetic this soldier lacked common sense to realize this was wrong.
Probably the company gossip. Shame on her. GD in order?
I'm shocked by this. A spouse breaking this rules, unforgivable but at least its slightly more understandable how it can happen {very very slightly} but a soldier?! The Army needs to act swiftly to make an example of her.
In all my years in the Air Force I have not once been told to NOT call, text or post any such information. While working along side Army soliders I didn't hear such a thing either. I suppose it was expected that everybody knew the rule but it seems they didn't. Lets not forget that soliders (and other service members) are not individual people on their own. Their fellow soliders train beside them, live together, party together, babysit each others kids, celebrate holidays, and in a deployed enviroment generally grow very close together. I see many folks on here wishing to tar and feather the solider who told the wife before the Army could. I think that in it self is uncalled for. This fellow solider also lost a close friend so I think it is a natural response to want to tell. Reading these posts tells me too much emotion is involved here.
I’m sorry but thi needs to be said. ****, you’re in idiot and need to listen more. Its told everwhere, and especially in te Army, sinc we actually delpoy. And often, we dont have the ability to turn down deployments like my AF buddies do. You dont know what you’re talking about. I’ve had 2 people die in te 3 weeks I’ve been here. Blackouts eveyrtime, and its like that everywhere, and you’re briefed as such everytime before you come out to thatre, so shut yourmouth. You dont know what you’re talking about. You’re prob fresh out of AIT.
I doubt you are in the US Army with that foul attitude. You cannot possibly quarantee it is told everywhere so please stop making false statements. Furthermore folks in the AF also do NOT have the ability to "turn down" deployments. You go when you get orders. I do not know anyone that can "turn down" a deployment. I do know of which I speak. I have been deployed numerous times working closely with the Army and Marines, often to countries the media will never know about. Finally, dear friend, you do not kow what you are talking about. The AF does not have "AIT", we call it Tech School. Please stop lieing and stop embarassing yourself in front of the public.
Ron, if you think we can turn down deployments in the AF, then your the idiot, and your the one who doesn’t know what they’re talking about and your the one who should shut your mouth.
I’m sorry but ,there may be a few of you out there in AF world that may not get to turn down deployments. But majority rules. And the majority is we turn down deployments all the time or have a friend who can take over. Sadly that is the truth. Any AF member who is denying that this is regular standard is in a specialized unit or is lying! The only truth in AF retired is that we don’t have AIT, but Tech School. Which in my personal believe pulls us away from all other branches of military. Like one is better then the other.
Were you awol when they did that part of the deployment briefing? That is why you have to have the correct info for your next of kin.
I am in a unit where we don't get mass briefings. Having the correct NOK info on your VRed form has nothing to do with being told what you can say when someone dies in the field. The real issue here, at the heart of it, is a failure in leadership to act fast enough. What I disagree with here is are the calls for the Solider in question to be thrown in jail for this. Do people really think jail time is warranted? As I said before, there is too much emotion involved here.
As an AF Officer I'm calling BS on BB…everyone going down range gets the pre-deployment briefing that tells you how to handle the situation and part of that is to NOT let the word get out and let the system in place work. Of course if you weren't paying attention then you didn't get the message and if you never got the briefing then your CC's aren't doing their job.
How did they not have a blackout where they were not allowed to use internet or phones? That always use to be the case until the next of kin is notified!
i would not care how i found out just that i would be greatful someone told me, my man is home with me thank god i do feel for all the mothers, wives, sisters, g/f and fiances and of course all the fathers, brother, son it would be hard not knowing whats going on. could have been worse she could not have been told at all.
So easy for you to say when your man is home w' you. Smh…..
Also, you said your "man" and not your "husband"…..are you a military spouse? I can't imagine one of us wanting to find out this way, or even making the statement that we don't care how we find out.
That is why we have 'next of kin' info forms to fill out. So the people the soldier wants informed get the proper notification.
Really? She could have not been told at all??? How freaking stupid are you? It's people with your mentality that cause these types of ludicrous situations.
My son, 19 yr old, Marine Lance Corporal Nathaniel Schultz was KIA in Afghanistan in Aug. 2010. I had 2 Marines come to my home and notify me of this tragedy. I had been home alone and did not take the news well at all. Had it not been for those Marines being at my home, I might have done the unthinkable in my first moments of unbelievable grief. For anyone to say that they would not care how they found out, is just plain ignorant! As much as I hated those Marines for bringing me such devastating news, they were effectively trained in compassion and knowledge of comforting a loved ones family. My family and I still keep in contact with those Marines. Trust me Heather, when I say, you'd want appropriate notification.
Having seen in several movies this process, it is incomprehensible that someone in the military could be so thoughtless. My daughter is a soldier's wife and I cannot imagine her getting this news in this fashion. My thoughts and prayer Mrs. Brown and her children, God Bless her.
You've seen in several movies? The you have no room to speak on this forum
I see a lot of comments on how stupid this individual was, how can the Army allow this to happen, she should wear orange and the list goes on.
There is no doubt the unit will look into this and find out just what went wrong. We only see the story as it is reported and there have been misunderstandings as to notification of next of kin. As stated in the article itself the notification team arrived just hours after the phone call was made. On this statement alone one can assume that the unit lifted the blackout with the understanding that next of kin have been notified. But the problem with this assumption is just that it is an assumption and we would need to gather more facts. Another assumption that can be made is the unit collects up all cell phones during a blackout, if this is the SOP then perhaps again a misunderstanding as I stated above could be the point of breakdown in communication.
In any case the soldier did not commit a crime worthy of jail time, though I understand the anger of a spouse mine would be just as angered as well. But while we are wanting to throw the book at her we may want to step back and see if all the facts are present. Having been both rear detachment commander and forward deployed I can say with a degree of certainty mistakes will happen. We try to mitigate them with SOP's and procedures but those are always up for improvement as well.
v/r
Al D'Adda
I really beg to differ with you on this. This is NOT just a mistake. We will start with total ignorance and we can work up from there. Does selfish come to mind? And somehow, Art15 just does not fit the bill here. But a trip to CMH for some personality inspection might be a place to start.
We have all been there before waiting for the news, trying to figure out whats going on. Thats the reason why people get myspace, facebook, etc. Everyone always has something to say neg- especially when they, themself were not around. God forbid anyone else steps in there shoes. Deeply sorry for the loss of your husband. As a member, we know how we treat one another when we are in another place togeher alone.
Y May 2828 2007, I was the bradley commander when a led went off under my crew compartment killing all 5 of my dismounts..after I was.medevac too b balad air base with the other 2 survivors ..I was given a phone call too call my wife..i dont remember calling.her bit she asked about the other crew memeber and i didnt tell her the bad news..it took her by surprize when the other wifes called her too tell how many died that day…the point is there are safe guards there for a reason..it wasn’t.till almost 9 months later did I get a chance too talk too the family members of the brothers I lost that day…
I agree with you. Having been an Army wife for 8 years and part of that included the 97 Gulf war, The soldiers and wives were all counselled prior to the departure of the troops on post about conduct of the soldiers and the spouses regarding injury and or illness including death and it was followed very closely. It is sad that the spouse found out in this manner. Many think they wouldnt care how they found out, but speaking from a bit of experience in this matter having one come to the home of the spouse allows for preparation on the part of the professionals in telling the spouse hearing your spouse died over the phone is just thoughtless and cold. Who knows how that spouse is going to react you know?
The news media thrives on sensationalism to sell papers. It is unfortunate that people want to hear the worst. Sometimes all the facts haven't been presented but the press prints it anyway. We as soldiers have a responsibility to respect our fellow soldiers, policy, and the rights of families to be notified properly so that casualty assistance can be in place to support the family in their time of greatest need. I also belief in the social networks so that families can maintain some semblance of contact beside waiting for mail that is not always the best form of communications because of time involved with delivery especially when rapid deployment is in play. Combat in itself is stressful by itself but having no contact with loved one's can make it a devastating and lonely experience for all parties concerned. I do not condone the soldiers actions but I do believe that before judgement can be passed all the facts should be in before condemning the individual. I blame the press for haphazardly reporting on events without regard to gathering all the facts.
The solution: do what the British have done. Deny the possession and use of personal communication devices when deployed.
That easier said then done
There's several USMC companies that denied cell phones while in combat zones too… Not ALL but the ones in the really hot spots are restricted to satelite phones….and those calls drop frequently.
I don't understand how this can happen. Whenever we had a KIA all communication (internet and telephone) was blacked out throughout the whole brigade until the family was notified.
During my last two deployments I had a locally adminstered cellular phone. Plenty of folks purchased locally administered internet. There was absolutely nothing other than my own morality and judgment to prevent me from calling whomever I wanted at any time. Additionally, DSN phones and e-mail still operate on the SIPR net and often times only the commo on the FOB at which the Soldier is based is shut down – so the information may pass from a controlled FOB to an uncontrolled FOB easily. Lastly, shutting down the network can take a minute or two, it is possible to get a message out before that happens. That makes it easy for someone at an adjacent FOB or with a fast, personal internet connection or phone to compromise sensitive information.
In short…it's easy.
OUTRAGIOUS!! ANY SOLDIER WHO DOES THIS SHOULD BE PUNISHED TO THE FULL EXTEND OF MILITARY LAW, W/ GOD GIVEN COMMON SENSE AND MILITARY TRAINING EVERY SOLDIER SHOULD KNOW NOT TO POST ANYTHING ON THESE SOCIAL NETWORKS OR MAKE CALLS TO FAMILY, POINT BLANK!
As a military spouse myself. I think I would like to hear from his fellow brother/sister. And not days/weeks later.
As long as Rear D knows where to reach you, it will not be days or weeks later unless there is something unclear about who has died and who is missing, and even then notification would be fairly fast given the notifiers know where to find you. Yes, it can take longer to reach parents or siblings, because they tend to be further away, but I still don't buy this story of it taking weeks to notify the spouse.
Notification can also take longer if there is difficulty in identifying who was killed, especially in the case of IED blasts. There are many factors that affect the time it takes to do a notification and your comment shows a lack of understanding about what happens when a death occurs.
What if a soldier makes a request from his bro/sis in arms. Just like carrying a letter home. Just now it’s faster.
I have been thinking about this situation. Yes, the soldier should have know not to make that call, so why would she do it? Perhaps she was also involved in the fatal incident and had PTS over it. It is easy for us to judge her. What she did caused a lot of pain, and should not have happened, but maybe the situation is not as cut and dry as it has been reported. I don't think it is reasonable to even try to limit contact with soldiers downrange. That contact is a vital part of our survival when our loved one is deployed. What needs to happen is we all need to act like adults and honor the rules. None of us would want to receive that news over the phone or internet and we should consider that when something like this happens.
I do agree we do not know all the details. However, instant communication is not vital to our survival. We (both military members and family) survived with only snail mail and the occasional phone call before the internet was even thought of. Instant is better, but not if it is mis-used. I know this because hubby is retiring next year with 35years combined reserve and active time.
the soldier that told the military wife broke protocol and should not have said anything, if you are not the chaplin or a high ranking official that is not your business to say anything. im sure a bunch of rules got broke by that soldier
Don't attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity!!
I knew SSG Brown. 4/4 had a mandatory class that delt with the notification process and all soldiers were told not to take if in their own hands. I got the privilege to go to sniper school with him this last summer and he was **** of a guy. This female in his platoon needs to be made an example of, she knew what she was doing and she damned knew it was wrong. RIP SGT Brown.
I knew SSG Brown. 4/4 had a mandatory class that delt with the notification process and all soldiers were told not to take if in their own hands. I got the privilege to go to sniper school with him this last summer and he was **** of a guy. This female in his platoon needs to be made an example of, she knew what she was doing and she damned knew it was wrong. RIP SGT Brown.
I knew SSG Brown. 4/4 had a mandatory class that delt with the notification process and all soldiers were told not to take if in their own hands. I got the privilege to go to sniper school with him this last summer and he was **** of a guy. This female in his platoon needs to be made an example of, she knew what she was doing and she damned knew it was wrong. RIP SGT Brown.
I knew SSG Brown. 4/4 had a mandatory class that delt with the notification process and all soldiers were told not to take if in their own hands. I got the privilege to go to sniper school with him this last summer and he was **** of a guy. This female in his platoon needs to be made an example of, she knew what she was doing and she damned knew it was wrong. RIP SGT Brown.
I knew SSG Brown. 4/4 had a mandatory class that delt with the notification process and all soldiers were told not to take if in their own hands. I got the privilege to go to sniper school with him this last summer and he was hell of a guy. This female in his platoon needs to be made an example of, she knew what she was doing and she damned knew it was wrong. RIP SGT Brown.
AMEN !!!! Sadly she will probably not be punished appropriately for it.
Why make it more than it is…. so if 3 hours had gone by and it had been done properly it would have changed anything? A man is dead. The routes that you receive that information does not change it.
Look at your people outrageous! Punish her. etc etc… Ever think maybe she had some personal investment in this and felt she was obligated to do so. What do you think she got off on this? You people are utterly pathetic.
People are bring their own cellphones or buy the Afghan/Iraq cell phones and can call home whenever they want. Until you cut those off no way to stop all communication out.
Nice thought…. My husband had a cell phone in Afghanistan… and yes… they do shut down the cell towers over there if they are able to when there is a blackout. Because the Afghanis use cell phones for multiple purposes they also have that power
NO EXCUSE for a military member to do this. NO EXCUSE. What a horrible thing to endure. How could someone be such a monster? People like this will make it impossible for us to have frequent communications with our spouses while deployed. WE will be the ultimate losers because of this loser.
I'm a military spouse. My husband's job is a dangerous one and one that takes him from home often. If my husband was to lose his life I would want to know ASAP. No matter by who or how the information is delivered. Is a couple of strangers standing at the front door in uniform going to help a wife's heart from breaking any less than if someone she and her husband knew gave the horrible news? Absolutely not.
I feel bad for the family; I do not think that the solider had the write to contact the family it should have been done through proper channels and procedures. This female solider should be give an article 15 for in subordination she had no right to contacted this wife and she has no write to publish thing of this sensitivity on face book or any other social media site.
Face book and other social media site have created more havoc in people life then what it worth. When are people going to learn that they not post everything they hear or see on some web site for the whole world to see, people deserve privacy in there lives and with all the social media site and twitters you can no longer have that because someone or thing is posting things about you. Take the company I use to work for since I was unable to get on the company email during a layoff and could not respond to emails I know longer have a job because it was to hard for some in the company to call me . The only communication they wanted is email because it a quick media and there no social action using it
You are so right the other solider had no right to contacted the wife, even if they were best of friends, the military has proper channel to do this and they should be followed.
Social media has no bussiness in the military someone could leak important information and not even know their doing it. The petagon release a report about how cyber attacks are very prevelent and yet soliders are allowed to use all these social media sites. When you in the militray most of your rights are stripped away. And this one right they need to take away use of social media sites
Why dont people get off their damn computers!!!!! Somebody ought to shoot that damn facebook
One approach won't correct the problem!
1. Notifications need to be faster, while still keeping checks for accuracy.
2. Blabbermouths should be PUNISHED!
I am not sure of policies, but I am sure they exist and probably need to be updated and enforced.
Retired Navy
The UCMJ can be a useful tool for situations when people insist on behaving stupidly.
Prior to OIF/OEF, there was no communication via computer or cell phone when forward deployed. That was for a very good reason. When you're busy worrying about the phone call coming in, the next chance to Skype or get on the computer, your head is NOT in the game where it belongs. If your mind is on whether or not the car's running right, what new clothes just got bought for the kids, what color to paint the house, or just plain "I miss you, and can't be away from hearing from you for a couple hours", etc. you end up wounded or dead. Go back to the old ways, and forget all this need for instant communications.
DO NOT use fb as a tool for such privileged and PRIVATE , type of information. HOW would you like it !!??
I don't recall death notifications taking as unreasonable amount of time with regards to notification of the next of kin. We sometimes feel that we'd like to hear from his or her brothers or sisters about the loss of a fellow service member. It's important to be mindful of the sensitivity of information as it's being processed. the average service member within a unit is not aware of or trained to take on the task of a casualty notification & assistance officer or SNCO.
I escorted my brother in-laws remains home after he was killed, the Casualty Assistance Officer was very professional, caring, and extremely sensitive to my families loss and needs. I wouldn't have had it any other way. It's irresponsible an insensitive for anyone outside of the services official protocol to take-it upon's one self to notify the next of kin.
the senior SNCO's and officers in my unit made it clear prior to deployment that at no time will anyone initiate notifications to next of kin or anyone regarding casualties prior to being officially notified
Semper Fi!
I'm not taking her side, but it's possible she could have thought the notification was already made when she called.
During WWII it could take months before a notification was made and even at that, it was by Western Union, then later by military officials. Good example… in my home town, a mother found out her son died by recognizing him being killed on screen during the theatre news reel. She screamed bloody murder and fainted with no one knowing why. It made the papers cross country.
If she knew …her expected phone call would have been …"Are you ok?", not "It's an emerency, call me…. your husband is dead." That is why there are blackouts. My husband always told me not to watch the news and worry because if something happened to him I would know way before they reported it.
I think the female soldier probably meant well, however it was a very wrong thing to do. I would hope the military tells the troops they are never to contact a spouse when something happens. Those words are hard enough to hear when someone from the military comes to your door and tells you. I know, I've been there. As a military spouse when your husband or wife is in a combat situation you live in fear of learning something has happened and a telephone call from someone is out of line. I am a member of a group that supports our troops and families and when a death occurs we are not allowed to have the names and addresses of the survivor unless they have signed a consent form. If the troops are not being taught this, someone is not doing their duty.
NOT COOL AT ALL. >:( Sounds to me like someone [the notifying individual] just wanted to feel all self-important. Pretty pathetic, really. I served on a carrier from '85-'89. We had a crew member who was severely injured during a maintenance action, while we were in port. During the time that we and the medics were trying to save him (he did survive), an idiot from another work center took it upon himself to leave the boat, go to the injured man's home, pick up his wife, and take her to the hospital. All of this went on during the time that were getting the injured man stabilized and evac'd off the boat to the hospital. The injured man's wife was totally hysterical, because at that point she didn't know whether her husband was alive or not, or whether he'd even survive if he was alive. Of course, the hospital had no idea who either of these two were, and were to the point of restraining the wife and sedating her when the ambulance arrived. Our entire CoC (Chain of Command), all the way through our CO, was mad, to say the least. With no specific rules in place to deal with this kind of thing during peacetime, not much could be done, but guy who did it was basically told he may as well leave the service when his enlistment was up, because the CoC would make sure he never got to the next paygrade.
As an NCO in the days before computers, cell phones, face book, etc. I was never told not to notify anyone about another soldiers status. I knew better, and I recall the question that was asked every 90 days during STRAC folder review who I wanted notified and under what conditions and if that held for injury, sever injury or death. In this time of a ten year war operation that anyone would be so DUMB as to take it upon themselves to notify a persons family outside the chain of command. Does anyone really believe in our current society that if you are told to turn in all your communication devices, and to not send text or video without permission, that those very instructions would NOT be the first thing on face book going viral?
I am so sorry for her lost and I wish the best for her and her baby and kids. I hope I would never have to go thru something like that. My husband is also deployed but I guess I wouldn't be too mad or even mad at all to whom ever give me the notice, because either way I wont know the people that will come to my door in uniform to tell me what happen, but I'll be pretty upset for how long it took the military to inform me, since nowadays with the help of technology there is almost no place you can't reach someone almost immidiately.
Unfortunately I am a spouse who was not notified properly. It was stateside, of all things. My husband had been in 22 years and did not show up for work one day. I went week in the knees and knew something terrible had happened. Soldiers show up on time! It took 2 days for me to be notified properly. I knew the rules as a spouse of an active duty soldier for 20 years. A civilian sherrif finally told me what had happened. Wish I had an answer to fix these messes. The regulations already in place are probably fine, just people act before they think. Not an acceptable excuse at all. My heart goes out to all the families who have gone through this.
Stupid Soldier, that's why they should do away with the Army and bump the Marines up to the main fighting force. She knew better and she still broke the rules, send her to prison. Maybe time in the slammer will shut that big
Mouth up
What is family? Family is who by blood connection, relation, or situation stand next to you and share your on goals in life and expectation and wants to see you do better in good or bad moment during the development of your goals and objective. Yes, maybe is your Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, etc., However in real life and specially with in the military and I mean with in the US Forces are those who are close to you and serve with you in the unit, at Conus or abroad. Time teach you that your next of kind is your fellow soldier who will protect your back while and during training and in real combat situation. The soldier will consider him/her to be the brother or sister in arms and even some time will be consider the father, mother or even a grandpa or an uncle. Family is the soldier who stand by him/her in difficult times. To you all who had read this Post specially those who had and have and presently are serving in the front have ask a peer too promise you that "If something happen to me, you will notify my family" I charge you with that responsibility, And the ask you if you promise."
I know that to many this is unthinkable, but ask those who are in the front or have been to the front how many time they have charge some one else with this responsibility, even Dow the US Forces have a protocol they steel implement there own which. Why this situation happen, because we trust our peers with that special message. Then is time for your to ask your self if the soldier who notify the wife was or not charge with this request.
Today I am a civilian chaplain, and minister, but in my days I was an enlisted and serve in very interesting locations, but I always charge some one I trust to let my wife know if something had happen to me with an special last message. Back them not such thing as e-mail or social networks, but I was certain that my message arrive before the normal protocol that we all know will take longer due to those special protocol..
C.V.
I guess it is time to get some training in the field about how the CACO process works. The CACO process has the counseling (Chaplin) and supporting officer to help the spouse through the volumes of forms and paperwork. Most bases have a wives club which also jumps into action to help. To not let the process work can cause major problem and the person receiving the call is left without a helping hand.
The big question is why are military members allw to have access to cellphones/internet when in the field or deployed? This is the easiest way to compromise operations and assist the enemy in locating troops to enhance the equipment and personnel loss.
Many people are very upset about this and for good reason, but I wish we were able to know more about what happened. I hope the family is alright and have family close by. From what has been released it sounds like the woman whom informed the spouse very well could have survivors remorse, since he was from her unit and may have been a close friend. I think the bigger issue is how the information just traveled around, to me that in its self is a dangerous security issue. I’m sure it’s being investigated quickly and carefully to insure proper procedure is handled in the future. Its unthinkably horrendous to receive this kind of news over the phone and in front of your children.
This is just unreal. I was the FRG leader during my husbands OIF deployment and stopping the rumor mill was a 24 hour job. Words cannot begin to express how upset reading this article made me. I sincerely hope the soldier that took it upon herself not only goes to prison but loses rank over her indiscreation
This is unacceptable. As a former military spouse of 20 years you are told the rules, so there is no excuse. As a military member you are told the rules, so there is no excuse. I think this military member should have charges brought against her. This needs to stop.
I served and had to deliver several loss of life notifications as part of my duties. The commander called me, notified me of a death of a Major and gave me instructions. I called the Chaplain, we found a relative living nearby and contacted them. From that, we got a prescription from a pharmacist. A couple of hours later we donned our dress green uniforms and proceeded to notify the spouse. We found the address and knocked on the door. The Chaplain told me to wait at the door. I had the official DOD notification letter. I heard the Chaplain deliver the notification. Then the spouse started crying. The Chaplain turned and instructed me to read the letter, which I did. I tell you I could barely do it. It was a gut wrenching experience. He had a flawless career. It was his last assignment. I realized then and there that better people had served and better people than I had died.
Who in the hell died and appointed this selfish wench God? Of all the low life things to pull, this takes the cake. Now is the time, for starters, to revert back many years and allow her 1st Sgt to take her out behind the dumpster and engage in some corporal punishment………then let the Special CM have its turn. Well, I'm just outa words for this sort of behavior.
Sad, but in this day and age of spot on reporting of events it is a wonder that the Military can get to the front door before the press. I'm sorry that the wife of this Hero had to find out about the death of her spouse and I pray that she can find it in her heart to forgive this person for her actions. God Bless you and your family for your service to our nation!
Being a soldier who has deployed, I know the process when a soldier dies. This whole situation is the soldier’s comands fault. In my experiences, my command put us on lock down until the family was notified. That meant we go to chow as a platoon,we go to the gym as a platoon, and everything else was off limits. No one complained because if we were in that situation we wouldn’t want it any other way. The only people to blame for this is the command and NO…. the notification process should not be changed.
My wife is the rear D Chaplin assistant for the 4/4. And I have met the Bde Commander. Their is no doubt in my mind this female is in for a lot of ass chewing from the bottom up. I would not be surprised if she gets an article 15 out of it. No doubt she deserves it. Rest in Peace SSg Brown
The command's fault? Really? I'm active duty and my wife is a company commander and has been Rear D. Her Soldiers are adults and get held accountable as such. This blabber-mouth Soldier is responsible for her own actions. It is SOP to brief everyone on the notification process prior to a deployment. That is the command's responsibility–make sure the soldier knows the rules. This Soldier received that briefing and chose to willfully ignore a lawful order. That's HER fault. Lest we forget, we're all adults responsible for our OWN actions.
This is an example of how poorly spouses some times are regarded. This soldier should be punished to the max, and that should be made know to all who serve. This is unacceptable at any level.
Regardless of chain of command reporting errors, grievious as they may be, the title of your article appears to be terribly and intentionally misleading, for all the wrong reasons: "Yes, AGAIN: Spouse Notified of KIA"
It seems from the reported details to be a training accident, not a KIA incident overseas. What's the difference you may ask? Just the apparent attempt to sensationalise the incident as a war death vs a training death. In either case a soldier is gone. In this instance the "spousebuzz" tries to gain eyeballs and 'readership' numbers based on the title of it's story. Shameful.
This is unacceptable. When I was downrange if we had a KIA we would also have a communications blackout. The internet and landlines that could reach the US were shut down until the family was notified. I just got home in December, has this policy changed? Why did this Soldier have access to the internet at all?
The Soldier was not deployed, she was on rear D and heard the news through another Soldier who is downrange. There are still commo blackouts, however, on the larger FOBs where there are multiple units, it is difficult to completely cut off all contact. This leaves Soldiers with access to the internet and phones at times. This Soldier knew what she was doing and thought so highly of herself that in her mind there was no one better than her to notify the wife. She is a real piece of work and ironically as of today, she is no longer in the Army as she was dishonorably discharged for drug use.
WHY does the Army allowed cell phones in a combat zone????????????????? Other branches view that as a security risk…
Seems the solution would be to limit them to satelite phones like other branches of the military that are also boots on the ground.
I am so sorry this woman had to endure this sad sad event in the way that she did. It's bad enough when 'the team' comes knocking at your door. The notification team is mental scene many of us that are military familys have nightmares over…let alone some 'well meaning' protocol jumping person in the combat area… There's reasons for protocol…
God Bless and keep our troops and their families.
There is no excuse for this!
I was at Basra last summer when one of ours was killed.
The CG had the internet killed and all outside comm restricted until the proper notification was done.
That was the right call which prevented this kind of instant reckless stupidity.
Luke 11:28 KJV Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Touching!!
Where's the Big Media on this? Let a soldier get his mug on camera next to a dead Taliban, that's front page news. But some idiot pulls a cruel stunt like this and it's only news to the military community. Either the mainsteam media excuse this behavior, they don't understand human decency, or they just don't care.
For all those saying they are shocked, or some variation thereof: you don't get out much, do you? Anyone that thinks consideration for others is prevalent in today's society needs to pay more attention to their surroundings. Social networking and the enhanced connectivity offered by mobile devices is a fantastic means by which to cultivate and indulge our society's pervasive narcissism. How many people use Facebook as a news ticker for every detail of their lives and cannot resist the urge to communicate anything and everything? This might be appalling, but it certainly isn't a surprise – propogating new information (aka: gossip) is a deeply gratifying experience for most people. Being "in the know" is only good if you prove to others how well connected and informed you are. There's a reason most military folks will tell you that FRG really stands for "F'ing Rumors Group." I cannot tell you the number of times I have witnessed a Soldier disclosing unauthorized information which was then widely circulated by people that simply did not care for the consequences and what effect it had on anything but their reputation.
Geez, it isn't like the military does half of what they are supposed to do in the right manner. Witness the harassment and demotion of fellow soldiers who are raped by even mil acadfemy people. The diplomatic nightmares that are the urination/corpse play mil teams around the world.Too many busy MPs for me to feel this warrants more outrage than these things.I never read outrage about those things from the blog riders.
As a very old Vet I hope the person responsible receives a court martial, reduced in rank and given a UD at minimum or a BCD if possible. I hope Mrs. Brown and her children the best in life. My prayers are with her.
HOW SUPID AND REDICULOUS IS THIS NOTIFICATION. THE DEATH NOTIFICATION IS THE RESPONSIBILITY AS WE KNOW IS THE MILITARY BRANCH MORTURARY AFFAIRS OFFICE.
TO BE NOTIFIED VIA FACE BOOK BY SOMEONE OTHER THEN THE OFFICE OF MORTURARY AFFAIRS IS JUST PLAIN STUPID. THAT PERSON BECAUSE OF HIS INCONSIDERATION TOWARDS THE FAMILY, SHOULD BE COURT MARTIALELD BECAUSE THAT IS NOT HIS CONCERN FOR NOTIFICATION WHATSOEVER. MAYBE HE WAS A GOOD FRIEND OF THE DECEASED, BUT OUT OF RESPECT, HE SHOULD MORN THE DEATH OF HIS COMRAD AND STOP RIGHT THERE. I AM SURE THERE IS A REGULALTION IN EFFECT HOPEFULLY ALREADY THAT NO ONE OTHER THEN THE MORTURARY AFFAIRS OFFICE SHOULD HANDLE THE DEATH NOTIFICATION. I FEEL SO SORRY FOR THAT POOR SPOUSE AND ALL FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE DECEASED. MY TOTAL SYMPATHIES ARE EXTENDED TO ALL OF THEM FROM A RETIRED USAF VETERAN.
That was a terrible way to be notified, years ago while I was deployed to Serbia my family got a call saying I had been killed, a sick joke that was not funny and no one was ever charged. The system has worked for decades so leave it alone.
My deepest condolences for the loss of her hero. Although I am sure no harm was intended common sense should of provaled. As a Marine Mom we were taught no talk of death before a DOD announcement , no talk of troop deployment dates and plcaes all as of OPSEC regs. We are military families and know to look out for one another, all day , every day. God bless the family and friends of this young hero. RIP
Maybe the military needs to figure a faster way to notify families so it doesn't happen like this. My husband had a heart attack in a combat zone. I felt something was wrong when our Skype session ended abruptly and I didn't hear anything from him for two days after. He was air lifted to Germany, had stents put in and was in recovery when the SURGEON called me. At no time did I get notified by any military personnel- even though the combat base had contacted our local unit within hours of the event. Even if he had not lived, I would have rather had a call from someone than to hear it from a social network, a doctor, or some other source outside the command. This is not rocket science – it's communication. There are times when the military needs to give up it's protocol to do the fastest and most effective communication for the families back home – or someone will end up doing it for them.
This situation out of hand and they military needs to take action.If I was in a unit and a close friend of a soldier killed in action, I know I would want to teller in a more sensitive manner. I know I would make sure she was alone and sitting down and be more human about it. In this case when it is done like it was then a court martial is definitely in order for insubordination and conduct unbecoming . It was done in a careless and negligent manner as well as cold. I lost 5 friends that were deployed to Afghanistan and killed in action and I would not want their families notified in a negligent manner like that. I can understand a very close friend in the unit informing her if they intended to offer any assistance that they could as a soldier and close friend of the one that was killed in action. This situation spells out court-martial to me.
I main point I was making and kind of missed was on how and manner it was done. I know I would want to be the one to tell my friend and fellow comrade's family. Not an easy task to do; however, it could be more sensitive and personal than a Facebook blog and a mechanical system the Army has in place. If she does this she is a security risk overall and needs a court martial. I know I would not (1) violate Army policy for anyone except for a close Army friend and (2) I would not do it in the manner in which it was done. This case lack the humane and sensitivity in addition to violating policy. I also want to express my condolences to Ms. Brown for her lose as (1) an Army Veteran and (2) a fellow Alabama Resident, for my out goes out to you. A few months back I lost a friend from my area that was KIA in Afghanistan and I will say if the family would have been notified in this manner I would have been outraged. Best Wishes and most heart felt condolences as well as salute for their courage and honor to the Brown family. RIP SSG Brown you are one of the many true American Heroes this nation has lost. God bless Ms.Brown and the entire Brown family.
Actually, it's a matter of national security also.
A lot of people want to see this service member hammered for notifying this spouse about the death of her husband. I'm pretty sure that most of us don't deal with deaths everyday, and the subject tends to leave a lot of us at a loss of just what is appropriate to say. How many of us have had a friend or co worker lose a loved one, and the first thing that we do is start babbling on about how one of our loved ones has died. The Soldier was probably thinking that the wife needed to be told soon, and she may have thought that it would take the Army too long to get around it; I don't believe that she had any malicious intent in notifying the wife. I'm sending out prayers for all of the deployed service members, and I thank God that I don't have to deploy anymore.
Retired SFC
k;lk';l
this soldier who is in a stressful and deadly environment, may be subject to the shock of having a fellow soldier lost, and yes knowing the basic rules of protocol or not, she had the instinct to ensure the spouse knew. her real state of mind is known to only her and even that is subject to evaluation. many rules have been broken by many solid individuals, ie; "the columbian stelletto heels mess" is taking down many great careers. may we not be judgemental just yet. thank you all for your service.
(retired army)
The military doesn't need to take a look at the way notifications are done, but anyone accessing a social media site and doing something like this should be punished. My husband was a CACO officer while serving active duty. He took his responsibility very seriously. It is a time-honored tradition that military members are trained for. All this shock & awe on TV has our young people convinced that it is okay to do something like this, even when you've been trained not to. This soldier should be ashamed of herself. Is this the way she wants to find out that a family member or friend has died?
Fun and fame on Facebook! Such a useful tool these idiots just can't stay off of it. It's like texting, gotta text, gotta text, gotta text. Like the moron pilot who was so busy texting he didn't lower his landing gear. Fortunately – or unfortunately – it was a commercial flight and the flight engineer caught it. That pilot was so absorbed with his texting. It's the infatuation with self and the ability of this media to gratify people's cravings for recognition, attention, even fame. That soldier just wanted to be first on the block to pass the information on. Techno hero! Will they have medals for texting, Facebook ribbons? Should they issue iPads instead of weapons so they can all go around with their heads up their butts?
I hope they fry her stupid @$$.
I have to re post this because as a military spouse myself I have to agree 100 %… I'd rather it be ASAP….
I'm a military spouse. My husband's job is a dangerous one and one that takes him from home often. If my husband was to lose his life I would want to know ASAP. No matter by who or how the information is delivered. Is a couple of strangers standing at the front door in uniform going to help a wife's heart from breaking any less than if someone she and her husband knew gave the horrible news? Absolutely not.
As a military spouse WE know better. Umong many other details, many of us are educated on the hours in which notifications take place, how many people will come to our home, their rank, and the vehicles they will be driving. We spouses know that there are 'blackouts' when accidents take place. At least of those that have supported our spouse during deployment. For Pete's sake, they make soldiers update wills and 'death' photos before deployment. This soldier certainly knew better. Sounds like she wanted to be a hero. How selfless!! I thank God I was not the one who answered the phone.
Your blog is great, and I love this post. I think I can find more useful information here. Thanks and keep it up!
For those of you defending this woman, I am going to assume YOU do not know how the notification procedure works. Some Joe-Shmo is not sent to notify the family. There are Marines/Seamen/Soldiers/Airmen that are specially trained in not just notifying the families but to read the emotional state of the spouse/family, to be their life line and assist in notifying the rest of the family, assist in the steps they need to take and to be a strong shoulder to cry on. They do not just show up, give the news and leave. They dedicate themselves to being there for this family.
Before they make the notification, they get the facts straight, which may take an hour or so, so as to be able to better help the family/spouse understand the situation. This is NOT a fly by the seat of their pants operation.
There is an epidemic of Marines/soldiers/airmen/sailors feeling the need to rush and tell the world about a death or injury. It is not their right or their place to say. They need to learn to wait until they KNOW the next of kin has been notified and then offer their assistance/condolences. This is about the NOK NOT themselves being the one to tell someone.
This is beyond common sense. Anybody with a brain should know better. IF YOU'RE NOT PART OF THE CHAIN OF COMMAND, you're not in any position to disclose any information with regards to fellow soldiers even if it's about your best friend. Ever since the military lowered the standards and allowed more women into the military the "MILITARY TRADITION" it's no longer there.
The chaplain and notification officier get the call immediately after a death, get prepared, then wait until they are told everything is in order before going to the next of kin. They are ready to tell the family even before all the details of the incident are known, before the proper next of kin is identified. They wait as long as necessary near the spouse's home, if she is not at home. Last week, they tracked down a spouse, who was not at home on the base, to another state where she was visiting a friend. There is no unnecessary delay in the notification process! No one should worry that the proper family members might not even be notified at all, or that there would be red-tape in the way to a speedy notification, etc.
No one should feel they have to tell the family asap, because they wouldn't otherwise learn of the tradegy soon enough. Certain details need to be verified, then the officiers immediately begin locating the spouse and the parents. It is a heart wrenching situation that is best handled by compassionate and trained people who are equipped with answers to the families questions, with experience to deal with the wide range of reactions to the terrible news, and with information on what assistance will be available to them, etc.
I'm failing to see what the relevance of the soldier's gender was. Why was it important to say that it was a female soldier? Isn't a soldier a soldier? I don't think if it had been a male soldier that the story would have specified gender.
Perhaps Brown had a pack with the soldier that if anything happened to him, his friend should let his wife know immediately. I cannot imagine that seeing those casualty information soldiers roll up would be less shocking. What if she was out and the had to track her down? We do need all of the facts, but if the soldier was just some random platoon member, then she should at least get a counseling statement added to her record and some extra duty etc. Just my opinion.
I meant to say "pact"
OMG, how horribly cruel and insensitive! Any soldier knows better than to pull this kind of stunt! Things are done through official channels for a reason, and it's not up to them to decide which orders are valid and which ones they can ignore.
Honestly, if she can't follow simple OPSEC regs, I don't think I'd trust her at my back with a weapon.
@ PV2,
For starters I am not arab, in fact Iam half Italian with some French German and Welch heritage. If you took the time to look at the name Al is short for Alfred, in fact is is also short for Allan, Alex, and Alecia. Next I am an active duty service member in the US ARMY (11B4) with just over 23 years of service so far.
Again, check your fire before you go off making comments that one would expect from a half wit. In fact I will go so far as to say you are more than likely a bigot based off your ill informed reply. Next time do some research and think for yourself the hate groups you likely associate with are leading you down a path to a dead end that is ignorance.
v/r
Al D' Adda
SFC, USA
ARMYNORTH
"I am the Infantry, Follow me."
@ PV2 you are very ignorant and immature – the fact is the Soldier knows the procedures and did not properly follow them and it seems to me you need to grow up. This is not about Al D'Adda it is about a woman who was told on social media the worst news of her life…again you need to grow up.