Death in the armed forces: casualty notification and bereavement support in the UK military
Keywords:
Armed forces, casualty notification, death in service, bereaved service families, trainingAbstract
AbstractMedia coverage has kept the current UK military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan firmly in the public eye, and most particularly the inevitable tragic consequences of such involvement – the injuries and fatalities suffered by our service personnel. But the general public is possibly less aware of how the UK armed forces deal with the aftermath of fatalities, especially with respect to the bereaved families. This article gives a brief overview of the casualty notification process and subsequent bereavement support offered by the military, together with some recent developments in the Army, and collaboration with external bereavement agencies.
Editor's note: The role of service personnel means they are particularly at risk of being exposed to dangerous situations that may result in untimely deaths, including deaths by violence and enemy action. Such losses affect grieving relatives and, in some instances, may lead to problematic bereavement. In addition to their many supporting roles, armed forces visiting officers are ideally placed to pick up on potential grieving problems experienced by service relatives and refer them on to the appropriate authorities. We hope that the changes proposed here will enable these officers reliably to identify those family members who are in need of extra help and ensure that they get it.
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