"A mother's worst nightmare" : how military families find out

[Crusoe]

Nothing much to say other than I wanted to share this article, which I found both moving and fascinating.

The Guardian: A mother’s worst nightmare:

A plane is due to arrive at RAF Brize Norton today carrying British dead on the final stage of repatriation. Families of those killed will have been treated, over the past 10 days, to what the military calls “delivery of the covenant” - the pledge given to a soldier that in the event of his death, his family will be cared for. What constitutes care has been codified through years of trial and error, into a system based on speed, accuracy, compassion and, to a surprising extent given the reputation of the military, flexibility. When a member of the armed forces dies on duty, a vast machinery whirs into action which within hours boils down to an officer, standing on a doorstep somewhere, his heart in his shoes. He is a man at the top of a high human pyramid, the wind in his ears - supported by many, but very much alone.

[Kalhoun]

I worked with a woman who lived on base while her husband was in Vietnam. Whenever the wives would see the “black car” coming down the street, they knew it was bad news for someone. Then one day, she just knew. The car pulled into her driveway and she went in the house and tried to wish them away. Turns out her husband was a POW. Luckily, he made it out alive, but very damaged. He was way off the beam and they eventually divorced. What a horrible job it must be.