By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 27, 2007 19:16:09 EDT
The Marine Corps may not be complying with a law that requires families to be notified when an investigation is being conducted in connection with the death or injury of their service member, such as in cases of friendly fire, a Marine Corps official acknowledged during a congressional hearing today.
The Marine Corps is aware of the law, said retired Marine Brig. Gen. Michael Downs, director of the personnel and family readiness division, which includes the casualty division, under Headquarters Marine Corps. He said the family is notified after the investigation is finished if a determination is made that the incident did involve friendly fire.
“Clearly, we need to look at the issue of ‘under investigation,’” Downs said, to ensure that combatant commanders put amendments into personnel casualty reports earlier, rather than waiting until the final investigation report is in.
“The existence of this regulation is well known. It’s an issue of 100 percent adherence,” Downs said.
More at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/06/military_casualtynotification_070627w/
