3 April 2009 MEMORANDUM FOR SEE DISTRIBUTION SUBJECT:  Army Directive 200902, The Army Casualty Program (Dover Media Access and Family Travel) 1.  References.


a. Memorandum, Secretary of Defense, 25 March 2009, Subject: DoD Policy Regarding Media Access to Dignified Transfers at Dover Air Force Base.

b. Army Regulation 60081, The Army Casualty Program, 30 April 2007.

c. Memorandum, Director of the Army Staff, undated, Tasking for Coordination of DoD Implementing Plan for Media Coverage of Fallen at Dover Air Force Base. 2.  In reference a., the Secretary of Defense (SecDef) established new Department of Defense policy for media access procedures and for Family member travel and attendance at dignified transfers of remains returning from combat theaters of operations to Dover Air Force Base, DE (DAFB).  This directive changes reference b. to implement the SecDef's new policies for the Army. 3.  The following policies and authorizations will be effective 5 April 2009 for remains scheduled to arrive from combat theaters of operations at DAFB on or after 6 April 2009.

a. The Primary Next of Kin (PNOK), as defined in DoDI 1300.18, will make the Family decision regarding media access to dignified transfers at DAFB.  However, in cases that involve the return of commingled or subsequent portions of remains, no media access to the dignified transfer will be authorized.  The PNOKs involved will not be asked for a decision and no Invitational Travel Authorizations (ITAs) will be offered for the dignified transfer of subsequent portions of remains.

b. The Casualty Notification Officer (CNO) for the PNOK will brief the option to allow media access to the PNOK at the time of initial notification or as soon as practicable thereafter.

c. Family members (PNOK plus two additional Family members of the deceased Soldier) may travel to DAFB via ITAs to attend the dignified transfer.  Specifically, I authorize:
1)  Travel and per diem for one day at DAFB and allowable travel time to attend the dignified transfer of remains at DAFB for the PNOK and two other Family members.

2)  The PNOK may designate another Family member to serve as the PNOK's representative, in addition to the two additional Family members authorized above, to attend the dignified transfer of remains in his/her place in the event that the PNOK is unable to travel.

3)  The PNOK will select Family members to travel to the dignified transfer at Army expense.  The Family members selected by the PNOK to travel must be relatives of the deceased Soldier who fall within a category of eligible relatives in Title 37, United States Code, Chapter 7, Section 411f. (c).

4)  In the event the Person Authorized to Direct Disposition of remains (PADD)
selects the PNOK or another Family member present at the dignified transfer to be a special escort as outlined in AR 6382 for the Soldier's remains, the Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Center (CMAOC) will amend the selected person's travel order to allow per diem for the necessary days at DAFB before the remains are transported to the place of interment.  CMAOC will also amend the order for travel to the place of interment and subsequent travel home.

d. Media access to the dignified transfers will be permitted only with PNOK
approval.  Media contact, filming, or recording of Family members will be permitted only if specifically requested by the PNOK, and then only after completion of the dignified transfer at a location away from the DAFB flight line.

e. Media access approved by the PNOK will waive the current DoD policy on the
24-hour delay in release of casualty information to the media, general public, and elected officials for that specific casualty.


f. Deceased Soldiers' remains will be recovered from the theater of combat operations and returned to Dover Port Mortuary without delay unless very specific extenuating circumstances presented by the immediate Family of the fallen dictate otherwise and can be reasonably accommodated by the Department of Defense.  A delay of 12 hours or less will be considered when requested by the PNOK, provided the remains have not yet departed Ramstein Air Force Base, the delay will not affect the movement of another Servicemember's remains, the next available transport flight is scheduled to depart within 12 hours of the currently scheduled flight, and the delay will enable the designated Family members to arrive at DAFB in time to observe the dignified transfer.

g. The Family travel entitlement does not extend to the dignified departure from the U.S. Air Force port mortuary, even when the travelers were unable to attend the dignified transfer.

h.  When non-premium seating availability will not enable the designated Family members to reach DAFB in time for the dignified transfer, premium airfare may be authorized to ensure the timely arrival of authorized travelers to observe the dignified transfer at DAFB.  The Commanding General, U.S. Army Human Resources Command may authorize business-class airfare.  The Deputy Chief of Staff, G1 may authorize first-class airfare. i. On a case-by-case basis, the Director, CMAOC may also authorize
1)  Travel and per diem for additional Family members when necessary due to extenuating circumstances.

2)  Additional days of per diem when unexpected delays occur en route to or from DAFB or while at DAFB that are beyond the control of the traveler.

3)  An attendant to accompany an authorized traveler if

(a) The authorized traveler is unable to travel unattended or unescorted because of age, physical condition, or other justifiable reason; and (b) There is no other authorized traveler traveling to the dignified transfer at DAFB who is qualified to serve as the attendant or escort.


j. At the discretion of the Director, CMAOC, in consultation with the Casualty Assistance Center Chief responsible for PNOK notification, the PNOK's CNO may be assigned as the PNOK's Casualty Assistance Officer (CAO) if most advantageous for the Family concerned and to expedite Family travel to the dignified transfer.  The CAO may escort and/or accompany the PNOK to the dignified transfer.

k. Travel and per diem for the persons prescribed above will be charged to the Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Open Allotment. 4.  When the PNOK is a minor or has been declared legally incompetent, the PNOK's custodial parent or guardian (as appropriate) will exercise the PNOK's rights as prescribed in this directive. 5.  The Director of the Army Staff working group established at reference c. will review the DoD policy and the soon-to-be-published DoD Implementation Plan to identify additional Army requirements not already addressed in this Army Directive.  This working group will prepare a more detailed Army implementation plan not later than
1 June 2009 to ensure procedural guidance is issued to enable proper execution of the plan across the Army. 6.  This Army Directive supersedes any conflicting policies that are currently contained in other Army directives or regulations.  These changes, to include those contained in the working group's detailed implementation plan, will be incorporated into the next revision of reference b., as well as any other regulation affected by this policy change.

7.  The Deputy Chief of Staff, G1 is the proponent for this policy.



DISTRIBUTION: Principal Officials of Headquarters, Department of the Army Commander U.S. Army Forces Command U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command U.S. Army Materiel Command U.S. Army Europe U.S. Army Central U.S. Army North U.S. Army South U.S. Army Pacific
    U.S. Army Africa U.S. Army Special Operations Command Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command Eighth U.S. Army U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Signal Command (Army) U.S. Army Medical Command U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command U.S. Army Corps of Engineers U.S. Army Military District of Washington U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command U.S. Army Reserve Command U.S. Army Installation Management Command
 U.S. Army Accessions Command
    Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy Director, U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center Chief, General Officer Management Office