Training to work through tragedy: the class every Soldier should take Published March 9, 2010 By Valerie Tandoi Army Support Activity - Dix Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Imagine kissing your child, spouse or parent good-bye before a long trip and then never seeing them again. Unfortunately, this scenario is the harsh reality for some military families who have lost a loved one. The Army Support Activity-Dix casualty notification training course is a vital class that teaches Soldiers how to personally deliver the tragic news of death and sometimes a serious injury to troops' next of kin. This is a difficult job and ASA-Dix takes training for this position seriously. In order to ensure there are always qualified troops ready to speak to families during times of need classes are held at least once a month on post. Sometimes offsite classes are held upon request. "I just came back from training in New York last week. It is an accelerated class that delivers three days worth of course work in two days," said Timothy Adams, ASA-Dix training instructor for casualty affairs. The course varies in size as well, having anywhere from 10 to 30 students at a class. There are rank requirements in place for servicemembers to qualify to take this course. Enlisted personnel must have the grade of E-7; warrant officers must be at least a CW2 and commissioned officers an O-3. Another important reason for having a large number of qualified casual notification officers is due to the prime location of ASA-Dix, wedged between Manhattan and Philadelphia. Although the region may not be large in terms of miles, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the entire country. Thus, leading to a considerably higher number of casualty reporting assignments in the region. "ASA-Dix is responsible for the Northeast region which consists of New Jersey, 17 counties in New York-including the five city boroughs, and seven counties in Pennsylvania-including Philadelphia. We are the busiest sector in terms of case loads," told Adams. How do you tell someone that their beloved family member is never coming home? The answer to that question is there is no easy way. Due to this difficult reality, ASA-Dix aims to ensure that the families of fallen heroes are treated with the upmost professionalism, courtesy and respect. According to Department of Defense policy, the news of all deaths is delivered to loved ones within four hours of ASA Dix headquarters learning of the tragedy. Death notifications are communicated in person at all times. Casualty notification officers will head for a next of kin's home as soon as possible after being informed. In some instances, social media has made it difficult and sometimes virtually impossible to keep the servicemen's death quiet until the official notification officer arrives at the next of kin's residence. This is especially true in cases of non-war related deaths, such as a Soldier dying in the hospital from an illness. During these types of situations, there are many people present who may spread the word via Facebook, text message and other media outlets. In some instances, family members may even witness the death firsthand "In cases where the next of kin is present for a Soldier's death, we still go through the official process of bringing a casualty notification officer and a chaplain to the family's residence. The only difference is that in this type of situation, instead of offering a notification, we send the team to give condolences," explained Adams. Although students in training receive guidance and instructions from Adams and the course materials are distributed, there is nothing that can be done, taught or said to get a servicemember ready for the emotional aspect of this job. "Soldiers must remember that they can't take any of what is happening personal no matter how bad a situation may seem. They have a job to do and that is to make sure the next of kin gets the news promptly. There is no real way to prepare for something like this," shared Adams. Although it would be unprofessional for a Soldier to get emotional on the job, they can find comfort in assuring the families that they are not alone in their grieving process. ASA-Dix offers many types of grief counseling for the families of fallen service members. These include Veteran Affairs counseling for families of soldiers that have experienced combat, OneSource counseling which covers a broad range of issues for families of servicemembers and the Survivor Outreach Program is available anytime for the loved ones of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to step up and be a casualty notification officer due to the sensitive and difficult nature of the job. However, all Soldiers could benefit with familiarizing themselves with the impact that causalities of war have on the Army, families and our nation. "I think every Soldier who wears a uniform should take this class at some point," declared Adams. Death and grieving is a tragic, but unavoidable part of war. The casualty notification training course helps Soldiers to do the best job they can when explaining to families that their loved one has given their life for our nation and the freedoms we all enjoy. All servicemember who are interested in registering for the casualty notification awareness class and currently have the rank to qualify are encouraged to contact Timothy Adams via email at timothy.w.adams@us.army.mil.