Notification of PNOK (primary next of kin) goal is less than 24 hours. There are SEVERAL levels of verification before that happens tho. They all have TWO HOURS to validate to the next level. If they don't, shit gets ugly for all the commanders in the Chain of Command. Casualty Affairs OPS is a HIGH priority mission. Secretary of the Army/Navy/USAF assigns a casualty notification officer (CNO) ... often a team of NCOs and/or Officers (always have a chaplain). At the same time there is a Casualty Assistance Officer assigned (CAO). The two are NOT the same person ... NOT EVER. CAO is there to assist the families with funerals, settling the service members affairs, stuff like that. When a service member is acting as a CAO, that is all that service member is allowed to do. Nothing else. That is their job in the military ... take care of the family until all the deceased military affairs are settled. Period. The regulation is non-ambiguous on that.
Time from death to notification is not set in stone. I have never in 30 years never known it to be less than 24 hours. If it goes past that it's usually because the 'clock' runs up against the ESTABLISHED hours of notification (5am -11:59pm). CNOs are not allowed to notify anywhere other than at the PNOKs home. Trust me, these folks take deep pains to do it as respectfully as possible. I've never been either ... THANK GOD. I have two good friends that have been both.
The only thing worse than having to tell a mother or father is being the mother or father. Nothing worse on the planet. Nothing.
Casualty Notification Officer and Casualty Assistance Officer are always two DIFFERENT people.
Notification of PNOK (primary next of kin) goal is less than 24 hours. There are SEVERAL levels of verification before that happens tho. They all have TWO HOURS to validate to the next level. If they don't, shit gets ugly for all the commanders in the Chain of Command. Casualty Affairs OPS is a HIGH priority mission. Secretary of the Army/Navy/USAF assigns a casualty notification officer (CNO) ... often a team of NCOs and/or Officers (always have a chaplain). At the same time there is a Casualty Assistance Officer assigned (CAO). The two are NOT the same person ... NOT EVER. CAO is there to assist the families with funerals, settling the service members affairs, stuff like that. When a service member is acting as a CAO, that is all that service member is allowed to do. Nothing else. That is their job in the military ... take care of the family until all the deceased military affairs are settled. Period. The regulation is non-ambiguous on that.
Time from death to notification is not set in stone. I have never in 30 years never known it to be less than 24 hours. If it goes past that it's usually because the 'clock' runs up against the ESTABLISHED hours of notification (5am -11:59pm). CNOs are not allowed to notify anywhere other than at the PNOKs home. Trust me, these folks take deep pains to do it as respectfully as possible. I've never been either ... THANK GOD. I have two good friends that have been both. The only thing worse than having to tell a mother or father is being the mother or father. Nothing worse on the planet. Nothing.
Casualty Notification Officer and Casualty Assistance Officer are always two DIFFERENT people.
Thank you for your insight.. Why did we have 2-3 weeks of base lockdown every time someone died?
No clue. When and where was that?
Afghanistan.. during the height of the war
No clue bro.