I found this story over at Editor and Publisher and it highlights some of the disconnect between families who sacrifice their children and loved ones in Iraq and in this case, the Army. In one sense, it does not matter whether a loved one dies as a result of friendly fire, accident, illness, or in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, because in the end somebody who is cherished is lost. But families deserve the truth even when it is painful
The tragedy that surrounded the death of Kamisha Block illustrates a flagrant fumbling by the Army in delivering a simple truth. Block’s family was initially told she was shot in the chest by “friendly fire”, and Editor and Pusher notes that credit to uncovering the actual events rests with the local newspaper in her hometown.
The actual circumstances are quite upsetting. It highlights both the Army choice to push aside a more complicated reality and the level of stress and broken coping employed by some in combat areas….
Forget friendly fire. It turns out that Spc. Block was actually murdered, and the killer, another soldier, Staff Sgt. Brandon Norris, then turned the gun on himself.
And more: Her parents were misled at the start, and only after the mother noticed a suspicious head wound at the funeral (it turns out she was shot five times) and asked why, were they informed a few days later about the murder angle
The local newspaper,the Beaumont Enterprise was also told by the Pentagon that the young woman died from friendly fire.
The family members noted a head wound and began asking questions about what happened. Once they were told what actually occurred, it took an exhaustive effort to obtain details…
Even after the family was informed about the murder – the two soldiers had some sort of “relationship” in the past — no other details were released, and it took six months, and the help of a local congressman, for the family to finally get the 1200-page military report. It revealed that their daughter had been abused by the killer several times shortly before she died, and the Army seemingly did not do enough to protect her. The Blocks say that a military official told them that the chain of command should have taken the abuse more seriously and done more
The article includes the observation that the family is still struggling to move on and that the local newspaper was quite vocal in its condemnation of the treatment the family received.
This is a sad, outrageous, and horrifying glimpse at how the Army mishandled and appeared to misdirect a grieving family. The article does not note whether anybody received any reprimand, who made the initial decision, and why it was made. It certainly appears like they got a piss poor explanation.
It also raises questions about whether there is a culture of severe “under reporting” of sexual harassment and violence directed at female soldiers that might even be encouraged lest the image of the Army be tarnished. Clearly it was only persistence that made the difference between the truth and a fantasy.
How can Americans trust that noncombat deaths are reported as fact? How many other families out there have been lied to? How many soldiers are suffering from mental stress that impairs them and influences them to act with rage? Why doesn’t anybody notice? Did her killer exhibit signs of acting out that were noted and ignored? Is the stress level of soldiers so high at times it is difficult to distinguish between “routine” acting out behaviors and those that can spiral and cruelly envelope those around them?
Somebody more articulate than I could present this as the poetry of anger and rant with the oratory of a Churchill. I am sickened and stunned by the ordeal of a family I will never meet, impressed by their emotional bravery, and left with a lingering sense of shame and ire that the soldiers who serve cannot even be protected from one another never mind an ever changing enemy.