Posted on Jun 10, 2014
1SG Jeffrey Bergeron
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during red cycle all senior NCOs and CPT and above are put on the Casualty Notification Officer, Casualty Assistance Officer (CNO/CAO), and told to go get training. Once on the recall roster given to the Casualty Assistance Center they will call and call and have to call the next person on the list , the one that answers the call gets the duty. This detail has no reprimand , and the result is "just don't answer the phone " and the Senior NCO or Officer that does answer the phone "does the right thing" gets duty. This should be fixed, Senior leadership needs to be held accountability for not taking the honor of assisting parents or spouses at their most desperate time.

What type of punishment should be imposed?
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Responses: 8
SFC Vernon McNabb
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Here at Ft. Rucker, we are placed on CAO/CNO duty for the entire month (I had it in October, and will have it agin in March). If you recive a call anytime during your month, and do not answer the phone, then it is considered failing to report for duty. I agree with the other posts, that a roster is good for keeping up with who is trained, but a DA6 will help ensure that the Soldiers know they have an obligation to report when called. You may want to get with your Casualty Assistance Office at your location, and determine a better way to handle this. It may come down to if a person refuses a call, then notify the first O-6/E-9 in the chain to alert them. It truly is disheartening to think people just dodge this duty, when the ones who suffer are the families of the deceased.

Nobody wants to get the call, but it should be because we don't want to see a fallen Warrior, not because it is an inconvenience.
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1SG Company First Sergeant
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Edited >1 y ago
1SG I would recommend using a DA6 for the duty as opposed to a roster with everybody on it, and whoever answers, gets the duty. That way one person knows they have the duty and there is no one to caver them if they decide to sham out and not answer.

Punishment is impossible in your scenario (in my opinion) because you have to be able to prove that they did in fact ignore the phone call.
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SFC Vernon McNabb
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When it becomes such an issue that the Post CSM needs to be involved, then we have bigger issues other than people not answering their phone. When you put into the perspective of:

Leadership: Leaders need to be engaged in the issue
Duty: It is our duty to look after our own (and their families)
Responsibility: We, as Officers and NCOs are responsible for the care of our military community
Selfless Service: We need to put the needs of the families who have suffered a loss before our own needs.
Honor: This is not a detail, it is an honor to take care of Soldiers and their family.
Integrity: Do the right thing, ALWAYS!
Personal Courage: Have the courage to do what's right, even if it makes you uncomfortable.
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1SG Jeffrey Bergeron
1SG Jeffrey Bergeron
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Well said
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