But the military shrouds its reviews of noncombat deaths with such secrecy, that when even the families of deceased military personnel question the thoroughness of investigations, they frequently are greeted with displeasure and distrust by the commanders who supervised the probes. Ariz. In a series of letters and meetings, William Cavanaugh Sr., a retired Army colonel, and his wife, Louise, tried to explain to officials their concern that the Air Force Office of Special Investigations did not handle their son's death appropriately. Among other things, the Cavanaughs were upset that base commanders had not insisted the Mesa police, who had jurisdiction in the case, do a more thorough investigation to confirm its immediate determination of suicide.
Military policy requires all deaths to be thoroughly investigated before a determination is made.
Cavanaugh said in a recent interview. The Cavanaughs are still trying to get the Air Force to acknowledge that officersshould have requested a thorough crime scene analysis, especially since Cavanaugh's fingerprints were not found on the rifle or cartridges in the gun that killed him. Other families also say that trying to find out from their government how a loved one died becomes more traumatic than hearing the heartbreaking news to begin with. Once patriotic families now no longer fly the American flag on holidays outside their homes. Charles Casto said of his search for a command acknowledgement of the role a hazing investigation played in the death of his son Anthony, a Marine who committed suicide in 1995 near Sasebo Naval Base in Japan.