Leslie Hurd (LH)

LH: They notified us that a servicemember passed away. Our primary role was to notify the mother and so we came up to the apartment door. And, I asked if she was indeed his mother and she said, “Yes”. I asked, “May we come in?” Um, “Yes, come in.” “Ma’am on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy I regret to inform you, you’re son is dead.” And she lost it. She ended up looking at me dead square in my eyes and she said, “What happened to him? How did he die?” Unfortunately, I had to let her know, “Well, ma’am, we’re being informed that he committed suicide. And she looked at me and she said, “Not my son.” She just knew for a fact that what I was telling her was inaccurate. And, I’m not gonna argue with her. There’s nothing that you can say that’s gonna be right. I’m a single mother. So, that night when I got home I just wanted to hug my son so tight and not let him go. On the day of the funeral, when she did see me, she walked up to me and she gave me a huge hug and she told me that she appreciated everything that we had done for her and her family and for taking care of her son the way that we had. It’s not just a duty. You’re there to take care of the family in their time of need and tragedy. And, you just become a part of the family.