Gratitude Monday: Not just a duty

On Memorial Day in previous years, I’ve written about how the Washington Post keeps the faces of the fallen before our eyes on a regular basis, and about Operation Homecoming, a stunning collection of writing about Iraq and Afghanistan  by service members and their families.

As our longest wars continue, this year two stories on NPR caught my attention, so I’m sharing them with you.

The first introduces us to the men and women at Dover Air Force Base who are responsible for the “dignified transfer” of the bodies of the fallen. There are no details on the actual process (you can refer to Operation Homecoming if you’d like to learn more); this is a glimpse into the people who perform this final service for those who served us.

The thing that struck me was that they all—military and civilian—feel they are performing more than a duty; they are answering a calling. And that amidst the grief that laps around them, they find joy in this purpose.

We are fortunate to have this look at Dover—then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney ordered the base closed to news media in 1991 when the coffins began coming in from Desert Storm, and the ban wasn’t lifted until 2009.

Another side of this—perhaps the first step in the final journey of a serviceman or servicewoman—is the notification of the next of kin of their loved one’s death by the Casualty Assistance Calls Officer (CACO). On Friday, NPR’s StoryCorps brought us Leslie Hurt, 39, a hospital corpsman in the US Navy, and a CACO.

She spoke of a different kind of casualty, the appalling number of military suicides. Their families, after all, have to be notified, too. Listen to her talk about that.

Like the people at Dover, Hurt says, “It’s not just a duty. You’re there to take care of the family in their time of need and tragedy.”

I’m grateful that someone is doing this with gentleness and grace, and I’m grateful that we are now allowed to understand this process.