Casualty Assistance Calls Officer. The man who knocks on the doors of loved ones, and tells them that their husband, father, brother or son, wife, mother, sister or daughter is not coming home with the others.
He’ll be coming back alone.
I had to do it once, a long, long time ago and it nearly broke my heart. Major Steve Beck, USMC, has had to do it quite a number of times now, in three states. And even after having read all 12 of the articles in the Rocky Mountain News link below, I cannot quite think how.
When Caroline Cathey drove up, she saw the strange government vehicle, then fixed her eyes on the man in the driver’s seat.
“She saw me; she pulled in,” Capt. Winston Tierney said. “And I hate this, but I think she might have suspected when she saw me. She got out of her vehicle and I told my guys, ‘Time to go…’”
He recounted the conversation from there:
“Please don’t let it be,” she said.
“I’m sorry to have to be here today. Can we go inside and sit down? There are some things we need to confirm.”
“Please tell me it’s not Jimmy, please tell me it’s not my son.”
Occasional reader Dave sent the link along. Read it all, if you can bear it:
Just as there is a special place in Hell for traitors, there is a special place in Heaven for those who must represent the Service to the family of a fallen warrior.
I’ve read this. Were I to fall, I would have my passing reported no differently…
I’m speechless. The tears falling faster than I can wipe them away.
Speechless and full of tears and yet thankful that we have men such as these. God grant that all of our fallen have men like Beck to take care of their families.
Thank you, Lex. There are Warriors and there are Warriors. Great courage is shown in many different ways.
I’m speechless.
I cried from page one to page twelve.
Thank God for all of those men and women out
there, somewhere… right now, defending us.
That really is hard to read, I’m a bit of a mess right now, my birthday and a funeral for a guy I worked with were both today… ups and downs…
Maybe the hardest duty I pulled in the Navy was Color Guard at NTC Orlando while on TDY awaiting the start of my NPS class. We rendered military honors at funerals (FL = lots of retirees), and I had to present the flag to the widow. Even though these were sailors who had completed their service long ago, it was tough to get the words out. I can only guess that it’s several orders of magnitude more difficult when the service member is active, young, and has fallen in the line of duty.
I don’t think I’ll follow the link…
I was truly moved by the piece. Thank you again for your service.
I have got to stop reading these pieces. I’m a wreck for the rest of the day when I do. I wonder how I would handle it, should anything like that happen to me. I hope I would handle it with dignity- and I sure as heck hope that someone like Beck would be there to help me through it.
Why can’t these stories be shared in the MSM, with the dignity and respect they deserve? Not as a means to illustrate the continuing US military losses, but as an illustration of how the loved ones who experience these losses are treated, and the courage they show when faced with such unspeakable tragedies. Now THAT would be news worth paying attention to.
I could only get thru the first page, though we should ALL take the time to force ourselves to get thru them all. These people deserve that much of our time, and so much more.
thanks for passing this along.
I think this captures the essence of the story
***********
Jo Burns never wanted Kyle to be a Marine. When he invited a recruiter over to meet her, she was openly hostile.
“I have to be honest,” she said later. “I didn’t believe all that brotherhood bull—-. I thought it was just a bunch of little boys saying things that boys say.
“I never believed it until after he died.”
Thanks, shipmate. Powerful article.
And doing it wrong can be so easily bungled, and there are so many things that can be done wrong. Not easy work at all, and so essential to do right.
Lex, please don’t tell me the Cathey’s in this article are related to Jethro (J’ro).
You know, I had the same question in my head. As I recollect, the geography is about right for J’Ro, and it’s not that common of a name.
Can’t say though, and I’ve lost touch with him.
I don’t know if this site is still active, or if this is just an archive… but its the first time I have seen it, and I appreciate you taking the time to consider this terribly tragic and difficult subject. May God rest the souls of all of our lost brother’s and sisters, from all conflicts, and may God be with the families of the fallen. Thier sacrifice is unimaginable, thier grief will never disolve, but I pray he can make it more survivable.
Thanks again for helping.