Casualty Assistance Imposters Targeting Military Families In Kentucky

November 3, 2008

For military families, one of the things that they dread the most, when they’re loved ones are deployed, is answering a knock on the door, to find a casualty notification officer and a chaplain at the door, to tell them that their loved one has been killed in combat. It’s something that all of us, who’ve had a loved one deployed have lived in fear of and something that we hoped and prayed that we would never have to face. As I was reading various blogs, I came across this story posted at Black Five, and my blood started to boil.

At Fort Campbell Kentucky, a very sick individual has decided that it’s a joke and visited a military family living on post. He was accompanied by a man dressed as a priest. They knocked on the family member’s door and told her that her deployed Soldier had been killed. According to reports, the man was dressed in an Army Class A Uniform and the man posing as the chaplain was dressed in civilian clergy attire.

In the past two months at Fort Campbell, family members living off post have been targeted by these individuals, but the incident that occurred last Thursday, occurred on post. The spouse refused to allow the two men into her residence. After they left, she phoned the Family Readiness Support Assistant and the Rear Detachment Commander to verify the information. Command informed her that her spouse was still alive and they’d work to get him in touch with her as soon as possible. The MPs were notified and a report was taken.¹

When Soldiers deploy, they have to create a Family Care Plan prior to their deployment, naming their next of kin, among other things. They also receiving briefings on casualty notifications and the process that is followed. When notifications are made to families of deceased Soldiers, a casualty notification officer and a chaplain, BOTH dressed in Army Class A Uniforms notify the next of kin. Family members can confirm the information with the Soldier’s unit. Casualty notification teams typically do not leave the home until another family member or a friend arrives to assist.

I hope that they find these cruel, sick ~~individuals~~ assholes, and punish them to the full extent of the law. I can’t understand how someone can be so cruel as to do something like this to anyone, military family or not. A lot of things are going through my mind, in regards to what I’d like to do or see done to these low life scums. They better hope that the police catch up to them, before one of the family members they so cruelly pulled this stunt on.

http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/10/31/casualty-notification-imposters-target-fort-campbell-families/ [↩]

Written by Terri · Filed Under Outrage

Comments

3 Responses to “Casualty Assistance Imposters Targeting Military Families In Kentucky”

L. Ashley on November 4th, 2008 12:58 pm

Hey I am the wife of a deployed soldier here at Fort Campbell. My FRG leader immedialty sent out a warning e-mail when this happened so we would be prepared if they tried agian. This is truly a sick person. I hope they are caught and punished. It really is my greatest fear that I will get one of the knocks on my door. That I will lose my husband and father to my children. To know that somebody thinks its funny to exploite my nightmares makes me sick. I thank you for your dedication to our military family.
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Regina Urbanski on November 5th, 2008 3:03 pm

I too am a wife of a deployed soldier at Ft Campbell, KY. This is actually the second time during this deployment that these cruel hoaxes have beeen perpurtrated on the military families here (it happened early in our deployment as well). The first time around they were trying to get the family members to give up the social security number of the soldier “in order to confirm identity”. We families KNOW that we would not be asked for such information ….we have been extensively briefed on the notification process. However, as with the other commenter, our FRG was all over it. They made us aware that it was happening and again told us how the notification process would take place and encouraged us to call Rear Detachment to confirm if we had any doubts as to the legitimacy of such a visit.

I can’t begin to tell how disgusted it makes me that these people would prey upon the vulnerabilities of waiting families. It is our deepest fear, my heart stops every time there is an unexpected knock at the door (my friends always make sure to let me know they are coming). I too hope they are caught and punished to the full extent of the law and even that is too good for them.
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Ingram Jansen on November 30th, 2008 3:26 pm

Those guys who did this are pathetic. They are a waste of sperm and disgraces to the human race. They need to be imprisoned, or probably worse.
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