Being a veteran, I know that members of the armed services are taught — no matter what branch of service — that the mission comes first and next is taking care of the troops. Also, as you advance in rank as a commissioned officer or a noncommissioned officer, you are made aware again that the mission comes first and taking care of the troops is next. President Obama, CEO of our government and commander-in-chief of our armed services, has shown a lack of command responsibility by not ensuring that the families of fallen members of the armed services are provided death benefits in a timely manner.
Recently, when five members of our armed services were killed in combat, the death benefits were not given to their families. The death benefit is a cash sum of $100,000, which is presented to each family within 36 hours to help them in their time of grief and need. We are told that it will be fixed after the fact, but “after the fact” is an insult.
Maybe it’s time for our commander-inchief to participate in the notification process when one of the members of our armed services is killed. The notification process includes receiving the names of those who have died, putting together the notification team that has to inform the loved ones of the death, working the burial detail and watching the reactions of the fallen hero’s loved ones.
Does President Obama know that his command responsibility is to ensure that all benefits are given to the loved ones of our fallen troops promptly, and not to fix it after the fact? John O’Sullivan Monmouth Junction