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CG NOK notification and public release of names. Very similar to DOD individual Service policy and procedures. 24-hour delay after NOK notification.
All the armed services generally follow the same procedure in death or missing cases, in terms of NOK notification. It’s important to note that exceptions can be granted to the 24 hour delay after NOK notification in release of names. In this case, I am sure it was well-coordinated with the chains of command and counterpart Navy and CG personnel command branches. It may well have been the official NOK notification was very quickly accomplished, the cat was out of the bag so to speak, and a coordinated decision was made to release the name before the mandated 24 hour window.
Death case protocols differ from non-death case incidents due to the procedures relating to NOK notifications and public release of names.
It has long been the practice of the armed services to send a Casualty Assistance Officer and a chaplain in person to notify the next of kin, and in subsequent visits, coordinate all the necessary details. “Radio silence” was imposed on everyone who knew, so that the news could be respectfully and formally conveyed to the family in person. Before social media, notifications were made between 6 AM and I think 10 PM. I, and I suspect other veterans on this board, have done their share of sitting in a govt sedan with a chaplain at oh-dark-thirty, reviewing the case notes, checking the required protocol and rehearsing the formal notification statement, before going with a heavy heart in a dress uniform to ring a doorbell at 0600.
With the advent of social media and “TMZ mode,” there has been a rash of heart-breaking situations where “helpful” people with knowledge of a death, perhaps fed to them by someone at the scene or at the command, go right to social media to post “thoughts and prayers” messages of condolence to the bereaved - who had no idea they were bereaved until they saw it on a screen from someone they barely knew. I saw it happen at USNA some years ago when a mid told parents, parents went to class FB page, and the deceased mid’s parents got the news that way. Commands have cracked down in recent years, giving direct orders to military members to not post/call/email specific casualty information.
It’s a matter of pride and professionalism that casualty assistance procedures are accomplished with care and respect for the NOK. If a military member is assigned as a Casualty Assistance Officer, he or she drops everything else, and that is their sole duty, to support the NOK and ensure everything is done properly.
I went into detail to describe this for family members unfamiliar with how this works. I served as a Casualty Assistance Officer several times, and oversaw the command program as a collateral duty at other times. If the casualty is in Pensacola, the command assigns someone there, and an entire system kicks into gear for assigning a CAO and chaplain at the NOK residence, no matter where they are. Reserve officers and chaplains play a key role in this, especially if no military bases for that service are nearby.
Lastly, if you haven’t watched the movie “Taking Chance,” I recommend it. Tissues required. It is a well-done story of how a deceased military member is handled and accompanied every step of the way.
I am always saddened when members of the military family are killed in the line of duty. There is a compulsion to ensure “everything is done right,” as a matter of duty and respect.