Army: We Misled Seven Families

The U.S. Army has concluded that it gave wrong or misleading information to the families of seven dead soldiers, including Pat Tillman. One step it’s taking to improve its notification process: “an $800,000 training film that highlights how grieving families react.”

Eight hundred thousand dollars. That’s not a typo.

USA Today:

A review of battlefield deaths that included the case of former pro football player Pat Tillman has concluded that the Army gave wrong or misleading information to the families of seven dead soldiers, according to the Army’s casualty notification office.

… Col. Patrick Gawkins, head of the Army’s notification office, provided findings of the review to USA TODAY. He said the review looked at about 810 deaths and found that the families of Tillman and six others were misinformed about how their relatives died.

… The re-examination of deaths is part of several steps taken by the Army to improve the way it notifies families. Other steps include:

Requiring more chaplains in the process.

Producing an $800,000 training film that highlights how grieving families react.

Dispatching training teams to educate soldiers.

Creating a new coffin cover with a flag emblem that will make it easier for air freight personnel to treat remains in a dignified fashion.

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