The mission of Soldiers magazine is to provide, in print format, accurate and timely information about Army operations and policies to Soldiers, their families and select members of government.

Soldiers Magazine is distributed monthly to a worldwide audience of approximately 525,000.

FEATURES
For Those Left Behind 4
A Soldier’s death triggers a series of events intended to help surviving family members deal with the emotional, administrative and financial effects of their loss.

For the Families 10
Casualty-notification duty is something all Soldiers dread but none neglect to perform with honor, because it’s the last thing one Soldier can do for another.

The Ladies of Arlington 14
A group of dedicated women honor fallen Soldiers by attending every Army funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

Cover Image
Soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) reverently fold the flag that had draped a fallen Soldier’s casket before burial at Arlington National Cemetery.
— Photo by Spc. Nancy Van Der Weide

Download Soldiers Magazine, May 2008

PDF format, 5.6MB, 36Pages.

Parents of the Fallen 12
Mutual support and sympathy are among the ways the parents of fallen Soldiers cope with grief, loss and lasting pain.

Eye in the Sky 20
From high in the air, an unmanned, all-seeing aircraft operated by Soldiers is helping coalition forces fight Iraqi insurgents.

Arts, Crafts & Soldiers 22
More than 200 Soldiers, civilians and family members entered the 2007 Army Arts and Crafts Contest, sponsored by the Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command.

Earning a Degree in a Combat Zone 25
Deployment doesn’t have to interrupt a Soldier’s education — online programs and CD-ROMs can help make that degree a reality, even when the closest classroom is half a world away.

Learning the Digital Way 28
Built upon the Distributed Learning System, Army e-Learning gives Soldiers the training they need no matter where they are, with more than 2,600 courses currently available.

Sniffing Out Explosives 30
Specially trained Army working dogs are helping ensure Soldier safety in Iraq by locating hidden explosives before they can do any harm.

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For Those Left Behind
Story by Carrie McLeroy

THE scene has played out in countless movies: A mother and father are eating dinner when they hear a knock at the door. The father answers, separated from a lone Soldier by a screen door. The mother joins her husband at the door, the camera zooms in on the Soldier, and music drowns out what he says.

The mother throws herself into her husband’s arms, and the Soldier’s lips form the words, “I’m so sorry.” That is how the movies leave the family, alone and grieving. But that’s only in the movies.

In reality, when a Soldier is killed in combat, an entirely different scenario transpires, according to Soldiers at the Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Center. The process of notifying a family about the death of a loved one is one action in a series of events that begin before a casualty-notification officer makes the solemn walk to a family’s front door.

When a Soldier is killed in-theater, members of the CMAOC receive a preliminary message, said Lt. Col. Bob Amico, chief of training and media development.

“We get a ‘heads-up’ message from in-theater regarding deaths. While the command in-theater is verifying every detail of the death, the CMAOC assigns a case manager, who notifies the Casualty Assistance Center closest to the family.”

The Army has 27 CACs in the continental United States, and six overseas. The CACs are responsible for the administrative functions of casualty operations and mortuary affairs, said Lt. Col. Brenda Hughey, CMAOC’s Case Management Branch operations officer. They are usually operated on military installations, and assign and train casualty-notification and casualtyassistance officers. ...

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