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Relatives 'devastated' to learn of soldiers' deaths on TV

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spanone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:28 PM
Original message
Relatives 'devastated' to learn of soldiers' deaths on TV
Shame on the Pentagon, what does a phone call cost???

~snip~ (CNN) -- The uncle of a U.S. soldier slain by insurgents in Iraq said he and his family were "devastated" to find out about his nephew's death from media reports rather than the Army.

"We didn't hear it from any soldier or anybody from the government. We heard it from the TV like everybody else," Mario Vasquez told CNN on Wednesday about how he learned that his sister's son, Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, had died.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/21/soldiers.families/index.html

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MichiganVote Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:29 PM
Response to Original message
1. The Bush Bureacracy at work---again
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TheDebbieDee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:32 PM
Response to Reply #1
17. Sorry, but this gentleman should be mad at his sister........
Edited on Wed Jun-21-06 04:37 PM by TheDebbieDee
for not picking up the phone, dialing his number and telling him that her son had been killed..........

ETA: I forgot to look before I leaped! I didn't read the referenced article but I assumed that the soldier's mother was at least notified of the soldier's death before anybody.....then it occurred to me that I could be wrong, as I often am.
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JuniperLea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:35 PM
Response to Reply #17
20. Was she told?
I read this story and heard it on the local news... no mention of a call to anyone in the family... where's your source saying the soldier's mother was called?
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TheCowsCameHome Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:31 PM
Response to Original message
2. White House Whore Tony Snow would say "It's just a number"
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helderheid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:31 PM
Response to Original message
3. didn't he know? This administration thinks his nephew is just a number.
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Beelzebud Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:33 PM
Response to Original message
4. Don't worry. Rumsfeld's auto-pen is writing a letter of condolence.
It would be funny if it weren't so fucking pathetically true...
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yardwork Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:34 PM
Response to Original message
5. This mis-administration is totally inept and cruel in every way.
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Hubert Flottz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:37 PM
Response to Original message
6. I saw the interview it was really sad.
This "War on Terror" for the GOP's political brownie points, is something that America should NEVER forgive and forget.
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Sailor for Warner Donating Member (615 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:42 PM
Response to Original message
7. The military only notifies the next of kin
If you recall the military was not acknowledging the deaths until the next of kin could be notified. The press was the ones with the info, blame them for being insensetive shits in this situation. Its not the Military's job to send a CACO rep to Uncle Mario's door. They go to moms door, whoever they had on their "page 2" form as their NOK.
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TheCowsCameHome Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:45 PM
Response to Reply #7
11. Here we are two days later and Bush has said "0" about this atrocity
But then, Bush wasn't related or didn't know any of the involved parties.
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Sailor for Warner Donating Member (615 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:51 PM
Response to Reply #11
14. Oh no I agree
I am just saying that it is not the Pentagon's fault that they did not call this poor soldiers uncle to notify him of his nephews death. Uncle Mario was not the NOK.
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TheCowsCameHome Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:00 PM
Response to Reply #14
15. I wouldn't expect them to notify anyone other than the proper person/s.
You would think given the horrendous circumstances that Bush might have squeaked out a few minutes from his grueling fund raising/feel-good bullshit tour to comment on these two deaths.

And that is not to imply that ther other 2,506 weren't terrible also.
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JuniperLea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:36 PM
Response to Reply #14
21. Was the mother informed?
I've seen this story all over the place and there is no mention of his mother being told. Do you have other information?
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:00 PM
Response to Reply #7
16. The poster above is correct
Edited on Wed Jun-21-06 04:02 PM by MADem
And they only notify the PRIMARY next of kin, as designated by the servicemember. So, if you are married, and your PNOK is your spouse, your spouse gets the notification, and it is assumed that the spouse will notify secondary NOKs, like parents, aunts, uncles, and so forth. This is the case even if your SGLI (servicemember's group life insurance) is going to several relatives or friends.

It's the way the system has always been. The servicemember is the one who makes the determination about who should be notified.

Edit/spelling
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Golden Raisin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:42 PM
Response to Original message
8. Where are all the yowling "patriots"
who are always screaming, "Support our troops!", "Honor our troops!" Guess support and honor doesn't extend past actual death or to grieving, surviving families.
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TheCowsCameHome Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:43 PM
Response to Original message
9. I hope this poor fellow gets lots of coverage.
Edited on Wed Jun-21-06 04:01 PM by Lastlaughin08
Maybe the real story coming from a close relative will wake up the stubborn BushKissers as to how cruel and insensitive this administration really is.
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Sailor for Warner Donating Member (615 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:45 PM
Response to Original message
10. Where does it stop
Should the Pentagon have called his ex GF from high school too? Seriously, this is the media's fault this time round.
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Minnesota Libra Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:46 PM
Response to Original message
12. OMFG, you mean to tell me that Idiot, Rove, Cheney, Rummy, nor anyone.....
....else could get off their effing lazy fat stupid asses and go tell the :patriot:family of this soldier:patriot: that their loved one had been killed in a most brutal way.:cry: What the holy f... do we pay these gd b....... for anyway???

Hey, I just thought of something, if we contact the Iraqi insurgents do you think they might be willing :think: :dilemma: :bounce: :thumbsup: Hey Idiot Boy, Rummy, Cheney, Rove boy, where you guys going to be in the weeks to come?? You want to do lunch?? bounce: :bounce:
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Sailor for Warner Donating Member (615 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 03:49 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. The mother was notified by the CACO
This is in accordance with long held miltiary policy.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2003/d20030228pag.pdf

and the recent changes also hold true in this situation. The press shot their load early on this one, it is their fault.
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JuniperLea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:38 PM
Response to Reply #13
22. Was she notified?
I've looked all over and have found nothing saying the soldier's mother was informed either.
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HiFructosePronSyrup Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:33 PM
Response to Original message
18. They're fucking with the families too.
They told the families not to give up hope until they confirm it by DNA in a couple of days.
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dogday Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:35 PM
Response to Original message
19. The Republicans needed to make it public
as soon as possible to go with their cut n run slogan... They have used these boy's deaths as a talking point...
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JuniperLea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 04:39 PM
Response to Reply #19
23. Hey, dogday...
I'm looking all over to find out if the mother was informed. Have you seen anything?


I figured you'd be all over this one...
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dogday Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 05:48 PM
Response to Reply #23
24. The family found out throught the press
they were informed after they found out.... Someone wanted this info leaked...
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JuniperLea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 07:02 PM
Response to Reply #24
25. That's what I'm seeing too
No mention anywhere about the mother or anyone else being notified until after the story hit the news.

Of course the news agency will be scape-goated, even though the responsibility is ultimately the US.

I'm getting more than sick of what these bastards are doing in our good name... or, what used to be our good name in any case.
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Jed Dilligan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jun-21-06 07:09 PM
Response to Original message
26. To clear up any confusion,
The uncle speaks for the whole family, including NOK.

snip

O'BRIEN: Our condolences go to your entire family. Such terrible news, such sad news. You know, we first started getting word from Iraqi press actually, which seemed to kind of leak the information. And then the military sort of had to come around and confirm what was already being reported by the Iraqi officials. How did the family first learn that, in fact, Kristian, who everyone knew was kidnapped, had actually been killed?

VASQUEZ: Well, we actually heard it on the media. We didn't hear it from any soldier or anybody from the government. We heard it from the TV like everybody else. I was very devastated when we learned it a different way than they had told us that we were going to know about it.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/21/cnna.vasquez/
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