US Army chief confronted by grieving families in Illinois Gov.'s office

[wndycty]

Grieving families give Army chief an earful

October 13, 2005

BY LESLIE BALDACCI Staff Reporter

Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey promised Wednesday to immediately assess the Army's casualty assistance program after complaints of insensitivity from families of Illinois servicemen killed in action. Harvey met with Gov. Blagojevich and Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn for about an hour at the Thompson Center.

The program is responsible for notifying families in the event of a death, transporting the body, delivering personal effects and awarding medals. Quinn said the secretary vowed, "We will do this right, 100 percent, all the time. There is no room for error, no screw-ups."

'Let's treat them like heroes'

The mother of a Libertyville soldier and the parents of a private from Pinckneyville met with Blagojevich and Quinn to describe the lack of sensitivity they faced after their sons were killed.

"We are sorry to inform you," the soldier at the door read from a script, breaking the news to Gay and Fred Eisenhauer that their son, Army Pfc. Wyatt Eisenhauer, 26, was killed in action in Iraq.

Before the casualty assistance officer came to their Downstate home that day last May, the Eisenhauers had already learned from television that a local soldier had been killed. When the grief-stricken couple went to pick up their son's body from Lambert-St. Louis Airport, they were directed to a cargo area, where amid stacks of boxes and workers on a cigarette break, the flag-draped coffin was delivered to them on a forklift.
-snip-

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-soldier13.html


Joan Neal, whose son Spec. Wesley Wells was killed in Afghanistan, and Gay and Fred Eisenhauer, whose son Pfc. Wyatt Eisenhauer died in Iraq, met Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey on Wednesday.


Joan Neal of Gurnee lost her son, Spec. Wesley R. Wells, a year ago in Afghanistan. After his death, she says, she was treated rudely by the Army's "casualty assistance program." U.S. Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey promised Wednesday to immediately assess the program after complains of insensitivity.

(PHOTOS BY AL PODGORSKI/ SUN-TIMES)

[Why Syzygy]

1. "Cargo"

That about says it all.

Come Home.

[NVMojo]

2. wish we could treat the Bushco like the shit cargo they are ...

[lateo]

3. Like shipping a piece of meat...

That shows how much they really "support" our troops...

[MADem]

4. That is NOT how it is supposed to be done

The body should have a uniformed escort, and if it is not escorted from Dover, someone from the local reserve center should meet the plane, sign all the paperwork, get the remains, and bring them to the funeral home and deliver them there in respectful fashion.

Families should NOT be having to deal with this shit.

Christ in the kitchen, what is happening to our once professional military??? This kind of shit would have been UNTHINKABLE ten years ago....

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. Rumsfeld

He has done everything he can to destroy morale and military discipline. That's why people like him will go down in history has traitors.

[Gman]

9. Hell, 5 years ago...

[MADem]

11. True nt

[Tsiyu]

6. "Support the Troops" my fucking ass

"Oh, we just buy a yellow ribbon and all our sins against the troops are absolved! Tee hee!"

[qanda]

7. Why does this remark just rub me the wrong way?....

"The families that raised them deserve the honor of proper notification."

[Union Thug]

12. Because it objectifies 'them' to such an extent that they seem no longer

human. As someone said above, it's like shipping meat. "Them" is as indefinate as you can get...and that's how the rich and elite view the working class kids that volunteer for our military - faceless cannon fodder.

[qanda]

14. Thank you

You certainly have put into words what I was feeling. It's so very sad.

[w8liftinglady]

8. this part killed me...

>Before the casualty assistance officer came to their Downstate home that day last May, the Eisenhauers had already learned from television that a local soldier had been killed. When the grief-stricken couple went to pick up their son's body from Lambert-St. Louis Airport, they were directed to a cargo area, where amid stacks of boxes and workers on a cigarette break, the flag-draped coffin was delivered to them on a forklift.<


...like so much baggage-pretty much the way this administration views the people it works for...namely us.I hope they all burn in hell-and may it start now.

[Why Syzygy]

10. Please nominate

This is heartbreaking. AMERICA needs to know the "noble" cause.

[madmom]

13. compassionate conservatism ...

damn these neocon creeps and there illegal war.

[knitter4democracy]

15. I would be one ragin' mama, let me tell ya.

I hope that mom never stops getting in their faces. That's terrible! She learned on the tv? His body was just sitting amongst cargo? He's a hero, for crying out loud! That's disgusting!

[wndycty]

16. Kick

:kick:

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. I heard this story on WBBM radio the other night. I could not believe

they had those parents "claim" their son's flag-draped coffin in a CARGO HOLD AT THE AIRPORT!:grr: How insensitive can they be? They really "support the troops", don't they? assholes.