Family Readiness Group » casualty
Casualty Notification
In the military, a soldier becomes a casualty when he is reported injured, ill, missing or dead. The Army has a very specific procedure for notifying the soldier’s family. The Casualty Notification Officer (CNO) will be the first to make contact with the family. The CNO is assigned based on geography, not unit association. If the soldier is injured or ill, the Army may notify the family by telephone. If a soldier is killed or missing, the CNO prefers to visit the family in person and a Casualty Assistance Officer (CAO) should be assigned to the family. The CAO will help eliminate delays in settling claims and paying survivor benefits and assist the family in resolving other personnel related matters. Unless you have been contacted by a Casualty Notification Officer (CNO), the news is not official.
How to Respond to Unofficial Information
In this age of email, satellite phones and 24-hour news channels, there will be times when a family may learn about a casualty before the Army can notify them. There have also been some very cruel hoaxes. If you receive information, please:
- Get the callers name and contact information.
- Then, contact your soldiers home unit or someone from the FRG to help you get official confirmation.
While they cannot confirm the information you just received, they can find someone who will.