Will you go home?

September 6, 2008 5:13 PM

[Novel Filter] If you are a soldier in active combat and a family member back home dies, what is the military's policy for supporting you while you come to terms with this personal loss?

Specifically, if it were 1968 and you were in Vietnam with quite a bit more time to go, is it likely that you would be granted leave and flown home for your veteran father's funeral?

If yes, what would be a legitimate reason for not sending you home (assuming they were NOT concerned about you going AWOL)?

posted by ilikecookies to grab bag (9 comments total)

I think this may depend on the branch. However, I believe they work through the Red Cross to get the soldier home for some leave time.
posted by C17H19NO3 at 7:12 PM on September 6, 2008

I was answering for the current time frame, not sure about 'Nam.
posted by C17H19NO3 at 7:13 PM on September 6, 2008

is it likely that you would be granted leave and flown home for your veteran father's funeral?

That's a pretty tight time schedule. Most of the time, funerals take place within a few days of death, and it may well be logistically difficult or outright impossible to get a soldier back home again in time.

In 1968 that would especially have been the case for a soldier in some sort of extreme deployment such as a firebase or part of a recon team out in the jungle.

What I'm saying is that a possible answer for your plot needs would be that the military would try to get the soldier home but wouldn't manage to do so in time to attend the funeral. Would that be good enough for you?
posted by Class Goat at 7:35 PM on September 6, 2008

This looks like a useful site, although they don't cite their sources anywhere. The last paragraph discusses emergency leave.
posted by saffry at 8:07 PM on September 6, 2008

Aircraft availability.

The soldier would be top priority to get home, but if there's no plane, there's no plane. That said, the soldier wouldn't be running missions in the mean time. He'd be sitting in the pax terminal, waiting. (Planes schedules in a combat zone are unpredictable.)

Even if the guy were Rambo two days into his tour, if his father died, the Army would not prevent him from taking emergency leave. And if, for some reason, he had a sadistic commanding officer who denied the request, the soldier could easily run the request up the chain through the Chaplain. He'd get home.

Now if we're talking grandparent or cousin or aunt, he might be denied leave with no recourse.
posted by rentalkarma at 9:37 PM on September 6, 2008

saffry's link should go to this site
posted by niles at 9:39 PM on September 6, 2008

I actually went through this in Iraq a year ago... The whole process starts with a Red Cross message (relatives contact the Red Cross with the situation, your name/unit/etc...) The message will take 12-24 hours to actually get to you. The Red Cross will verify the information, and contact your Commander. He will then contact you and begin the process for Emergency Leave (a DA Form 31, with "Emergency Leave" block checked).

If it's an immediate family member, or Loco Parentis (the deceased acted as a parent for a specific amount of time), then Emergency Leave can be granted. For other situations, Ordinary Leave can be requested.

From the time I received the message to the time I was "wheels up" on my way home, was less than 24 hours. When traveling back home, Emergency Leave personnel usually have priority on flights going home. In my situation, I was priority on a C-130 going to Kuwait, and then immediately issued a ticket on a civilian flight leaving within 6 hours. I was transported to the airport, then flew commercial carrier all the way home.

The Army is very, very good about handling these situations, and can usually get you home within 72 hours.
posted by Master Gunner at 10:14 PM on September 6, 2008 [2 favorites]

Thanks for the link niles/saffry. That pretty much gives me the background info I need.

Master Gunner, sorry for your loss and thank you for your service.
posted by ilikecookies at 10:30 PM on September 6, 2008

Master Gunner's story is not unlike a good friend of mine whose brother died. Said friend is in the Air Force and upon arrival from an overseas flight mission was immediately asked to report to his commander who had already made all of the necessary arrangements for my friend to come home quickly.
posted by phredgreen at 4:45 AM on September 7, 2008