CalvinBall
Member
- Joined
- May 13, 2019
- Messages
- 129
Prayers for his family, friends, and all impacted
Take the Daily Mail with a lot of grains of salt. They are a tabloid in the strictest sense of the word. They print just enough of the facts to make things sound plausable.
Thank you for this description @Capt MJ. My son served as a CACO at Norfolk and was honored to be selected for that duty. One of the hats I wear in civilian life is teaching Death Notification and Victim Advocacy to law enforcement personnel. I can say that without a doubt, the Navy gets this right. Their training is good, and their follow-up is excellent. Of course I pray I am never on the receiving end of a notification, but I am comforted by knowing I am part of the Navy family. Thank you to all who take on this duty.Though this has been discussed here on SAF before, I want to describe the Navy Casualty Assistance Calls Program for the benefit of parents of applicants who are thinking appalled thoughts of their daughters and sons possibly being in the same situation down the road. Sadly, In our country today, these shootings happen in schools, at clubs, in movie theaters, stores and other work and public places. And military bases. None of us are 100% safe from violence.
The military is expert and takes very seriously the notification of next of kin and handling of all arrangements and details. When a military member passes away, a Casualty Assistance Calls Officer (CACO) is assigned, both at the command where the member is attached, and one geographically assigned to help with NOK notification. The notification CACO will go with a military chaplain, in person, in service dress blue uniform, to the NOK home as soon as possible. Sadly, social media today often beats the in-person team. That CACO serves as the family’s liaison with their service member’s Command, answering questions, helping to coordinate the arrangements for the body and personal effects, remaining pay and allowances, death benefits, SGLI, and anything the family needs help with. That is the CACO’s sole and solemn duty. Back at the command, the CACO and designated staff there will inventory personal effects, coordinate with military personnel and pay office, and work with the CACO with the family. The body will be escorted with all care given to safe and respectful transport by a uniformed escort. The CACO will work with family to represent their wishes for a memorial service and assist them if they travel to the duty station. The CACO’s services extend after final disposition of the body to help in any way possible.
All the services have something similar, by slightly different names. It is the nature of military business that being experienced and good at handling casualty cases is part of the military culture.
At various times in my career, I was a collateral duty CACP geographic coordinator (assigning CACOs and chaplains when the casualty’s NOK was geographically distant from the duty station), collateral duty Command CACO Coordinator (I and my LDO Admin LCDR did this at the Navy Staff for 9/11 at the Pentagon), and as a CACO several times. I am still in touch with the family of a USNA grad for whom I was a CACO in CA as a young LT. A year after the funeral, the mother called me. She still had not opened the boxes of her daughter’s uniforms shipped home, and she didn’t know what to do with them. I took care of that for her, and together we took the flag that had been presented to the family, along with her rank insignia, ribbons and a few other things, to a shadow box maker who was “the guy” at my duty station who made these. Serving as a CACO was one of the most rewarding and solemn duties of my career, and I know many other posters here shared that experience.
My purpose in describing this feeling of family and care for the fallen, is to assure non-military-experienced family members of candidates aspiring to military service, that despite its many flaws, the military will gather as a family to do the right thing.
And if you have never watched the movie, “Taking Chance,” a 2009 docudrama, with Kevin Bacon, do so.
The Saudis should be hugely embarrassed, assuming they cleared this officer to attend training.
Wonder if the families can sue for civil reparations. No doubt lawyers are already thinking about that.
Superb film, very well done and shows the compassion and care taken returning these brave souls to their families.And if you have never watched the movie, “Taking Chance,” a 2009 docudrama, with Kevin Bacon, do so.
I wish I didn’t have to but can’t not read everything I can find on Kaleb Watson. He was a fellow Alabamian and Navy man. He died a hero on what we know as the current battlefield. I’d go to war with him any day.This is a heartbreakingly beautiful article:
Pensacola NAS shooting victim 'saved countless lives with his own'
"He died a hero and we are beyond proud but there is a hole in our hearts that can never be filled.”www.pnj.com