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'A solemn duty'

Jan-16-2005 » Filed Under: General Military

Many of you have asked questions on our bulletin board about the notification process. The following article describes the process through the eyes of two Army National Guard officers charged with this responsibility.

Link to Full Article
By LARRY GRARD, Staff Writer

AUGUSTA -- They have been praying together for years.

Growing up in Burnham, John R. "Jack" Mosher attended the First Congregational Church in Pittsfield, where Andrew L. Gibson was pastor. More than three decades after they came to know each other, Mosher and Gibson still, on occasion, find themselves together in prayer. Only these days, it is a solemn duty.

Lt. Col. Mosher, who lives in Vassalboro, is a training officer at Camp Keyes. After leaving as congregational church pastor two years ago, Gibson, who still lives in Pittsfield, serves out of Camp Keyes as the full-time support chaplain for the Army National Guard.

On a rotating basis, Mosher is responsible for what the National Guard calls "casualty notification." Three times Mosher has notified Guard families that a family member has died in overseas combat. Gibson has been with him for each.

Before they knock on the family's door, Mosher and Gibson sit and pray. They then get out of their vehicle and take a deep breath. Mosher knocks on the door, asks if the person answering is next-of-kin to a certain soldier and announces he has come with difficult news.

"What comes out of your mouth is extremely important," Mosher said Friday from his Camp Keyes office. "You've really got to concentrate to hold the tone of your voice. After that, we see the heart-rendering, body-shaking sobs." [...]

"There's no job more difficult than this duty," Mosher said. "You don't join the Army to become a notification officer."

Officers whose week it is for casualty notifications carry a beeper that goes off only in the event of a soldier's death.

"You just pray it doesn't go off," Mosher said.

Gibson and other officers teach a course on the proper procedure for the obligation.

"Our notification, done correctly, is the beginning point of the family's healing," Gibson said. "It's wise to have a second person. One, for mutual support. Secondly, just in case something happens at the site, such as someone fainting or becoming aggressive. We try to make that person a chaplain, to offer counseling support."

Mosher and Gibson have their own "standard operating procedure." They first try to understand traits about the families. They collect information into a folder, and don their military dress greens.

They then drive as quickly as possible to the family's home. In these days of cable news television and the Internet, it's a race to notify people before they already know. They want to be there within 12 hours of the soldier's death.

Mosher and Gibson drive by the house to make sure it's the right place.

"All the way out there we're rehearsing," Mosher said.

Following the notification, Gibson will recite a prayer if requested. He will either visit again the next day or contact the family pastor.

If this is a topic you've had questions about, be sure to read the entire article.


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