Statement presented to Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel

Senator Kempthorne, Idaho Chairman

By Cassandra Alleyne September 12, 1996 

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee,

In advocacy of the rights of our deceased children, we, the group "UNTIL WE HAVE ANSWERS", thank you for this opportunity to hear from families on section 1185 issues. 

We also come here to petition for change in the conduct of investigative procedures. Our experience has provided a clear view of the motto "WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN". 

We need answers that will explain to us how and why our children really died. These answers can only be obtained by reopening the investigations and answering all questions relative to these cases. The manner in which the Inspector General’s office has handled section 1185 tells us we may never get those answers. 

What are parents to do when their sons or daughters are reported to have, allegedly, died by their own hands while in the military and the reported circumstances of their deaths resound with unanswered questions that suggest negligence? What is a family to do when the only answers to their questions a "I don’t know", "I’m not sure", "I can’t answer that", "I’m sorry, but it’s hard to explain how he died"? What course have we as parents and tax payers when the rights of our children have been violated? to whom can we turn if not to the leaders of our country ? What do our leaders represent? 

Suicide in the military and in most states is a crime. let the military go before this hearing to prove their case. currently the burden of proof rests with the parents. Which means that exhuming bodies, hiring detectives, lawyers, and all other expenses must be carried by the parents until personal funds are expended to exhaustion and we as parents can no longer act or defend. At that point justice in America has not been served, only the self-governing have been served. 

In terms of change, there must be intervention into the fraternity of the military. The military must be charged with a clearly defined responsibility for conducting crime investigation in a concise and procedurally sound format. 

In terms of change, there must also, be sensitivity to dependent relationships of small town law enforcement and their local military installations that provide revenue to these towns. The suppression of negative publicity has clearly benefited both the local law enforcement and the local military. Compounding this is the reluctance of elected officials to pursue issues that cause discomfort to local officials. Investigations conducted by local law enforcement into the deaths of military personnel must also be scrutinized by a third party. 

When requesting information under the Freedom of Information act (#552), from the military or civilian law enforcement agencies, we as citizens of the United States and as parents, should not be denied information pertaining to the determination of cause and manner of death, including photographs. But we and our members of Congress have been denied this information. As parents, have we not struggled enough to overcome the loss? Must we also struggle to get answers to our questions? 

The Review of Investigations that has been conducted to date by the OAIG-CIPO branch of the Department of Defense did not answer the questions of the families of our deceased children. Rather, the reviews sought to appease. Re-iterations of sections of the JAG reports were sent to us, the parents. The greater number or our requests for reinvestigations into these cases have been denied. When deaths occur, to active duty military in civilian jurisdictions, many problems have been identified some of these problems are: 

Families are refused information held by the civilian authorities,

including the information that is provided to military

officials by the civilian authorities, including but not limited to

crime scene photographs. 

Military reports clone civilian police reports without conducting

their own investigation or verification review. 

Civilian medical examiners rely on statements of witnesses to

determine the manner of death. 

Frequently there is no autopsy or there is a partial autopsy directed

only at the cause of death; therefore, neglecting examination of body

fluids and tissue, omitting reference to breaks, abrasions, cuts and

bruises. 

The crime scene is frequently not secured, nor is evidence

gathered and analyzed. Frequently potential evidence is destroyed. 

Conflicting reports by witnesses are not subjected to scrutiny and

are never resolved. 

Background investigations are not conducted on witnesses from whom

statements are taken, who are closely tied to the victim. These

background investigations, in some cases, provide startling information. 

Suicide or self-inflicted determinations made immediately upon

arrival on the scene. 

Families discover and report inconsistencies, which investigators and

reviews do not resolve in any way. 

Inconsistencies and lack of factual verification in psychological

autopsies. 

Extreme delays in interviewing key individuals.

The use and reference to records that become "lost" or are withheld. 

You, members of the Armed Services Committee, must be instrumental in providing the structure in which non-combat violent deaths of active duty military can be investigated. 

The organization "Until We Have Answers" will not rest until justice is served and change is implemented. We will not stop writing letters, we will not stop asking questions, we will not stop marching, we will not go away Until we have answers and change. 

Thank you. Cassandra Alleyne

9/12/96