Annotated Bibliography

Bethke, Paul. Mortuary Affairs: Are We Prepared to Meet the Challenge? Pennsylvania: U.S. Army War College, 2000.

In this national government publication, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Bethke describes the various challenges an officer faces when recovering the dead, from proper decontamination procedures to briefly mentioning the emotional effects on the officers performing such procedures. Colonel Bethke believes that the U.S. Army does not place enough importance on mortuary affairs as a whole. He ultimately advocates that the army should improve its policies on handling contaminated remains. This article does not serve as a source for analysis on the people who handle mortuary affairs so much as it is a critique on specific protocols and regulations currently in place under this branch of the U.S. military.

Giles, Karen. “Educating Air Force Mortuary Officers: Confronting Death Anxiety.” Death Studies 17.1 (1993): 85-91.

Karen Giles is an instructor at the Air Force Institute of Technology, experienced in preparing soldiers to become mortuary officers. The article argues that mortuary affairs is one of the most psychologically demanding professions currently in existence. Giles defines “death anxiety” as feelings experiences as mortuary officers consider and/or perform their duties (87); the four anxiety-producing aspects of the job include anticipation, handling of remains, overwork, and next-of-kin relationships. Giles acknowledges the taxing effects of the job mentally and emotionally, but she also argues that airmen and women must go beyond that fear with reason, and gain reason through knowledge.

Ray, Roger. “Death notification: A dreaded duty.” Western Courier. 21 March 2005. 7 May 2010 <http://www.westerncourier.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=51916260-06f1-4446-9f67-39c8857672c1>

The article provides general insight into the act of Marine Corps casualty notification. Ray gives anecdotes of various families from Florida who recall when officers arrive at their home to tell of their son’s death in Iraq. The article emphasizes the uniqueness of each case, citing instances like how one deceased soldier documented his wife as next-of-kin but never told his parents he secretly married, or how another NOK attempted to set the Marine soldiers on fire when they delivered the news. The article only briefly goes into how the casualty assistance notification officers deal with the process: when the Marine base receives a new notification, no one is willing to go out and knock on the door but when ordered they must inevitably do so out of duty.

Sheeler, Jim. “Final Salute.” Rocky Mountain News. 11 November 2005. 10 May 2010. <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2005/nov/11/final-salute/>

This Pulitzer Prize-winning series chronicles reporter Jim Sheeler’s year-long journey with Marines stationed at Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado. Sheeler followed Major Steve Beck on casualty notification to families for their recent loss of loved ones in Iraq; the journey did not stop there, but continued even past the funeral. The article demonstrates that each visit is unique yet just as painful, not only for the next-of-kin but for Maj. Beck and other Marines involved as well. Maj. Beck nevertheless argues that it is a life-changing experience he wishes more people in the armed forces would experience. He also indirectly condemns casualty assistance calls officers who do not wholeheartedly invest themselves in helping the families, despite having been trained otherwise to develop a more aloof emotional mindset.

Sheeler, Jim. Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives. New York: Penguin Press, 2008.

Final Salute is an expansion of Sheeler’s article written for The Rocky Mountain News. It includes background on the author’s decision to take on this particular story of the armed forces; new accounts of other casualty officers, mortuary workers, etc.; additional photography by Todd Heisler not published with the Rocky article. Sheeler states that the book is dedicated to—and is primarily about the families who have lost someone in war. The rhetoric used within this work easily pulls at the heartstrings of the reader. However, Final Salute does so in a carefully balanced way devoid of mushiness or melodrama.

Beck, Heisler, Wester. Interview. “A Grim Task: Military Death Notification.” Talk of the Nation. National Public Radio. Washington DC. 29 May 2006.

A follow-up on Jim Sheeler’s “Final Salute” newspaper article, NPR fittingly broadcasted this interview on Memorial Day when the U.S. was still in the midst of war overseas. Guests on the show include the previously mentioned Maj. Steve Beck; “Final Salute” photographer Todd Hiesler; and Colonel Eric Wester, a U.S. Army Chaplain. One of the most interesting dimensions of the interview showed itself when callers to the show recounted their own experiences as casualty officers (i.e. during Vietnam War, Korean War) or with meeting casualty officers. Maj. Beck tells how pleased he was with how the “Final Salute” article stayed true to what the Marines stand for. Both Beck and Wester emphasize that what is needed to perform the job honorably is a great deal of compassion to the families and respect for what the fallen Marines have died for. Beck also argues that there is no escaping and we should not try to escape the human aspect of a deceased soldier, regardless of the military aspect of it all.

Beck, Steve and Sheeler, Jim. “A Messenger for the Marines: Steve Beck’s Story.” Fresh Air. National Public Radio. WHYY, Pennsylvania. 29 November 2009.

This broadcast was a recounting of a previous NPR interview from 2008 upon the release of Jim Sheeler’s book Final Salute, an expansion of the Pulitzer Prize article he wrote. Sheeler and Beck talk about how the idea for the article came about and how Sheeler in particular tried to be as respectful as possible towards the bereaved families he was interviewing and shadowing alongside the Marines. Listeners learn that Maj. Beck founded the Remember the Brave Foundation to honor deceased soldiers and was deployed to Afghanistan the week this broadcast aired in late 2009. Beck realizes that he is somewhat a symbol for death and the worst of all possibilities, but he also knows that his own personal pain and worries is nothing compared to that of the next-of-kin’s. It is interesting to note that Beck continually refers to the deceased and their families on a first-name, personal basis throughout the interview. Both Beck and Sheeler argue that the entire process—from casualty notification to burial and beyond—truly embodies the Marine culture of brotherhood; this is especially evident through anecdotes about Marines guarding the coffin and families’ homes until burial and the guard’s interaction with the coffin (preparing the body, feeling the weight of their comrade when carrying him).

Bryant, Clifton D. & Wolfe, Timothy W. “Full Military Honors: Ceremonial Interment as Sacred Compact.” Handbook of Death & Dying, Volume 1: the Presence of Death. Sage Publications, Inc. Thousand Oaks, 2003.

The authors provide extensive background into the traditions of military memorials and ceremonies, from major events like the Revolutionary War up until present day. The article cites how, with the evolution of battle, came the progress of military burial and honoring; for example, as the locations of battlefields moved farther and farther away from soldiers’ homes, options arose for whether NOKs wanted the bodies buried abroad or be shipped back home. Expansion of war also led to the rise of the United States National Cemetery System and the Graves Registration Services. Apart from providing previously unknown yet interesting facts about historical military traditions, Bryant & Wolfe’s article claim that the formalness of it all is secondary to comradeship within the Armed Forces. When U.S. soldiers die, they argue, they do so less for political ideas or love of their country and more for their comrades-in-arms—their buddies (162). Remembering and honoring the men and who men who died unify war survivors via a “community of memory.”

Lord, Janice H. & Stewart, Alan E. “The Death Notification Process: Recommendations for Practice, Training, and Research.” Handbook of Death & Dying, Volume 2: The Response to Death. Sage Publications, Inc. Thousand Oaks, 2003.

This article is quick to point out how very few resources exist on death notification training. Lord and Stewart advocate the need for research that profiles the personality of people who perform the job competently and compassionately; examines the long term effects of performing notifications (in particular, the coping and adjustment process); and compares people who deliver quality notifications over the years versus those who do so only for a short time. The article does provides minimal studies and data, but all prior to conflicts resulting from the 9/11 attacks and most have to do with all professionals who deal with death. The most notable studies presented include the negative effects on casualty assistance officers who directly witness survivor’s distress versus those who do not. There is also statistics which reveal that most professionals who regularly encounter death received no classroom or experiential training at all. Overall, this article’s lack of thorough data available enforces the authors’ desires for such.

Ender, Morten G., Bartone, Paul T., & Kolditz, Thomas A. “Fallen Soldiers: Death and the U.S. Military.” Handbook of Death & Dying, Volume 2: The Response to Death. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2003.

The volume’s article “Fallen Soldiers” details the consequences of working within the U.S. Military’s casualty notification system. Significant data shows that military mortuary workers are very prone to develop posttraumatic stress disorder, somatic symptoms associated with handling the dead, and symptoms of intrusion and avoidance; their significant others suffer similar stresses as well. In a separate study Notification Non-Commission Officers were seen to have high levels of stress due to inadequate preparedness in working under the system and limited social support. Casualty notification officers often report feeling guilty because they are the ones to deliver the bad news, but because their roles are quite short, there is only a weak correlation to mental stressors. Casualty assistance officers, whose roles span much longer than CNO’s, showed a much stronger positive correlation with psychological and health problems. The most intriguing column within “Fallen Soldiers” is dedicated to unit rituals within the U.S. army when a soldier dies (for example, sticking the deceased’s rifle in a makeshift platform along with his dog tags as a form of place-making). The authors observe that comradeship is something quite unlike friendship, and the rituals which occur are more “warrior” tradition compared to the religiously-driven rituals of most memorial services.

Toto, Christian. “Battle-trained cleanup team.” The Washington Times. 18 March 2009. 19 May 2010. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/18/battle-trained-cleanup-team/

Marine Sergeant Benjamin Lichtenwalner and Lance Corporal Ryan Sawyer are founders of Biotrama, a Georgia-based death-scene cleaning firm. The article briefly traces their beginnings from the Marine Corp’s mortuary affairs unit in Iraq, and how their experiences eventually translated into clean up in the homeland. Lichtenwalner emphasizes that people who do this task must try not to become emotionally attached to the situation (a.k.a. keeping their emotions in check); however, he also cites the humanity required in their mission. Biotrauma—apart from decontaminating a scene and eliminating lingering evidence or odors—is there “‘to be sensitive and provide that shoulder to cry on.’” This article is one of the very few examples found which explores the lives of mortuary affairs officers outside of the battlefield. It is interesting to note that Lichtenwalner and Sawyer did not shy away from this duty but rather continued it based on the Marine Corps’ ethics for handling the dead and helping the families. The article is also accompanyed by some uncredited photos of the actual mortuary affairs building and workers overseas in Iraq. The message “No Man Left Behind”, made out of sandbags underneath the hot sun, should lead to some insighful analysis on my part about comraderie.

Maslin, Janet. “Bearing Witness to the Fallen and the Grieving.” New York Times. Review. 5 June 2008. 19 May 2010.

Janet Maslin reviews Jim Sheeler’s book Final Salute, an extension of the article he wrote for the Rocky Mountain News in 2006. Maslin is impressed by his work and how carefully Sheeler handled the material, calling it “one of the great underreported stories of the Iraq war.” A few particular segments of the book are mentioned briefly as are the photos taken by Todd Heisler. The review points out that Sheeler does not rely on maudlin and over-the-top pathos to tell the story. There is, however, a small portion of the review which seems slightly discordant. Maslin describes one of Heisler’s photos as “shocking”: it is the image of the Marine guard unloading the casket of Lt. James Cathey from a commercial airplane as passengers quietly watch from the windows. To call the picture “shocking” seems ill-fitted and even ironic. This particular photograph and Maslin’s analysis of it will be a subject for disagreement within my paper.

Casualty Assistance Officer Guide. Washington: United Sates Army, September 2004.

This is an informational guide published and aimed to help officers starting out at CAOs. General Peter J. Shoomaker of the United States Army cites a Warrior Ethos as vital in honoring the sacrifice those have made for the nation. The guide extensively covers the major steps involved in notifying next-of-kin and handling the subsequent paperwork, funeral preparations, etc. which come afterwards; in addition, it also provides anecdotes and quotes of advice from past and present casualty assistance officers. Because this source is for scripted, by-the-book instructional purposes, it is somewhat discordant with other sources which imply that the process is often performed differently in reality by the officers (e.g. for emotional reasons, shock of being part of the situation).

DiMaggio, Anthony R. Mass Media, Mass Propaganda. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2008.

The introduction provides useful data regarding American’s general perceptions on the mass media, from issues of reliability concerning cable networks to readership rates of national publications. The rest of this source examines the media’s role within the “War on Terror”—in short, it argues that because its ultimate goal is to maximize viewership and thus profit, it attains these goals by dramatizing the war in Iraq more than it needs to be. DiMaggio’s book, however, fails to mention anything relevant in regard to the absence of casualty notification by the media. It does cover certain aspects of censorship and omission, but only to argue that the media intentionally does so to exert control over how the public forms opinions about event. This may prove to be a good linking point to my topic however.

Tanielian, Terri and Jaycox, Lisa H. Invisible Wounds of War. Santa Monica: RAND Corporation, 2008.

This source talks about the psychological and cognitive injuries to soldiers, their consequences, and services to assist recovery. However, it is very heavy on the scientific and health-related aspects, and extremely minimal on the humanitarian and sociological aspects. Most of the book advocates for better military healthy policies concerning veterans and those who return from war (especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder). Furthermore, none of the studies or index entries mentions the effects on soldiers who work under casualty notification or mortuary affairs. Invisible Wounds of War will likely not play a role in my finished project.

Works in progress…

Dao, James. “Grim Milestone: 1,000 Americans Dead.” New York Times. 18 May 2010. 21 May 2010.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/us/19dead.html?scp=1&sq=bomb%20kills%204%20u.s.%20soldiers%20in%20afghanistan&st=cse

Jaramillo, Deborah. Ugly War, Pretty Package. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009.

Kitch, Carolyn and Hume, Janice. Journalism in a Culture of Grief. New York: Routledge 2008.

“Review of the policies and procedures regarding the notification of next-of-kin of wounded and deceased service members.” Hearing. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2008.

Morten G. Ender, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, Thayer Hall 282E, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, 10996, U.S.A.

Phone: 845-938-5638...Fax: 845-938-2236...e-mail: morten-ender@usma.edu