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| Casualty Assistance Officers... | |
| 2004-08-29 | |
BC PS. I don't like to pass things along until I've checked them out for authenticity. Neither 'Urban Legends' nor 'Break the Chain' have anything on it. That, plus finding the bio on Col Goodson puts it in the "OK to Pass on" in MHO. Burial at Sea by LtCol George Goodson, USMC (Ret) In my 76th year, the events of my life appear to me, from time to time, as a series of vignettes. Some were significant; most were trivial. War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican Republic - and was wounded there - Vietnam was my war. Now 37 years have passed and, thankfully, I rarely think of those days in Cambodia, Laos, and the panhandle of North Vietnam where small teams of Americans and Montangards fought much larger elements of the North Vietnamese Army. Instead I see vignettes: some exotic, some mundane. *The smell of Nuoc Mam.It was late 1967. I had just returned after 18 months in Vietnam. Casualties were increasing. I moved my family from Indianapolis to Norfolk, rented a house, enrolled my children in their fifth or sixth new school, and bought a second car. A week later, I put on my uniform and drove 10 miles to Little Creek, Virginia. I hesitated before entering my new office. Appearance is important to career Marines. I was no longer, if ever, a poster Marine. I had returned from my third tour in Vietnam only 30 days before. At 5'9", I now weighed 128 pounds 37 pounds below my normal weight. My uniforms fit ludicrously, my skin was yellow from malaria medication, and I think I had a twitch or two. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 He certainly does sounds like a great uncle. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-29 5:04:40 PM |
| #8 Fred---I appreciate the task that you do. It must take its toll, but if anyone knows how to do this job well, it would be you. My great uncle (who I was named after) Paul Fox flew P-38s during WW2 in N Africa and Italy. In 1944 he was on a mission from Lecci, Italy to Vienna. He ran into mechanical problems 20 min into the mission and turned around. They never heard from him again, nor found any wreckage. Nothing. Probably went into the drink. I have all of Grandma Fox's letters and telegrams from the War Department. They kept up correspondence, even after the war. They related that other troops coming behind the assault troops always searched for evidence of soldiers and airmen, and their dispostion. I even have Paul's airman's logbooks, with the last entry showing him departing Lecci, but no other entries on a return or flight data. The point I want to make is that people in the military took the time to communicate with the next of kin, and secured and sent the missing airman's personal effects safely home to the next of kin. That gave me the chance to share the heritage of my relative with my children and friends to help to preserve the memory and legacy of Lt. Paul Fox, airman. Again, Fred, thanks for your valuable service. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-08-29 4:03:32 PM |
| #7 ...During Desert Shield/Storm, USAF set it up so that the Recruiting squadron commanders would be the notification authority, backed up by USAF/ANG chaplains and the recruiter who handled the zone where the casualties' next of kin was. We had no USAF casualties in my zone, tho we did have two Marines - and I think they would have sooner faced the Iraqis themselves, naked and carrying a stick, than do that again. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-08-29 2:59:29 PM |
| #6 I'm not sure whether I should thank you for posting this or not - I had a terrible time reading it through all the tears. My God, these men are made of steel. Thank you too, Fred, for what you do on your job. It's absolutely necessary, but must be almost as heartbreaking as the notifications. Thanks to you, the Colonel, the young Marine who just spent a few days visiting me, and all the rest of our military and military support. Every day I'm grateful my great-however-many grandparents got on those ships from Europe. Even with all the dangers and problems we face, we are the most incredibly fortunate nation on earth. And the good and brave people in our military are one of the reasons why. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-08-29 1:51:55 PM |
| #5 I seem to recall hearing that Recruiters and Guardsmen will occasionally get the call to do notifications. Not really a distinct memory, but I recall my wife saying that her First Sgt got a call to do a notification in Northern KY. Her is a NG unit in Frankfort. |
| Posted by: Jame Retief 2004-08-29 1:35:27 PM |
| #4 Fred, there was a story a day or two back about 3 Marines delivering the news.... :( Would these have been local reservists? Some kinda training (sure, that's easy) would be appropiate, is there any?.... then again maybe the locals are more in touch. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-29 12:44:59 PM |
| #3 Fred, thank you. I was only a child during that war -- emotionally 9/11 marked the start of "my war". And then, thanks be to all the gods, I found your site. But anyway, thank you for what you did, and for what you now do. And a special thanks to those brave men and women who do, what to any person with a soul must be, the most difficult job in our armed forces. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-08-29 11:57:52 AM |
| #2 This touches close to home for me on a couple levels. The colonel and I share a lot of memories, and I'd have put the smell of nuoc mam at the top of my list, too. The country smells of it, and it's definitely a distinctive odor, like no other. When I came home I was also somewhere between the shade of a lemon and an orange, and there was considerably less of me to love than there is now -- and less than there had been when I arrived in country. My current job is with the Army, at the Joint Personal Effects Depot. When someone is killed or seriously wounded, his or her effects are shipped back to Aberdeen for forwarding to the family. I'm writing the database that tracks the process, cutting the paper and allowing the Army to make sure that everything's done right and on time. It's a joint services operation, handling Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and civilians. The personal effects are sorted, cleaned, and photographed, with government equipment being returned to the supply system or destroyed -- last week our building was evacuated when three M40 rounds were found in a ruck sack. Each case is under the supervision of a Summary Court Martial Officer, who signs off on the disposition. The bulk of the manning for the depot is by a Puerto Rico National Guard mortuary affairs unit. They're some of the most pleasant men and women I've ever worked with. The Casualty Notification Officers are called Casualty Assistance Officers by the Army now, Casualty Assistance Calls Officers by the Marines. They make the initial calls, and they provide a point of contact for the family for anything they need, through the funeral and for the next six months. It's not a job I'd want, by any means. |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-08-29 11:45:21 AM |
| #1 shit, Fred. Now you've got me crying like a pussy. What a horrible job, and what a good man. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-08-29 11:19:53 AM |