Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Jaime S. Jaenke, 29, of Bay City, Wis., died June 5 as a result of enemy action when her HMMWV was struck by an improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province, Iraq. She was assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 25, Fort McCoy, Wis. She had actually moved back home to Iowa Falls last July before deploying.I'm not very highly evolved. I come from a time before women were getting blown up in their jeeps in forward areas, and seeing the pictures of Petty Officer Jaenke's funeral with her 9 year old daughter following the coffin and receiving the flag... well, I'm not used to it.
Now I read that as a matter of policy her death benefits are to be held in trust for her daughter instead of being used for her rearing as Petty Officer Jaenke had intended. One reads this piece, and hopes that an admiral did not really tell the child's grandmother that in the meantime the child "may have to learn to do without."
It all comes with the territory. People get blown up or beat down or burned out, and some of them now are mothers. You just hope that They know what They're doing this time... against all evidence to the contrary.
4 comments:
This one is not only sad but maddening.
Is there not anything we can name that is done right or well by our government? Not one?
My God. The death benefits are the least we can do...and we cant even do THAT right.
My daughter is at bootcamp and will become a Seabee. She is only 18 years old. She filled out a beneficiary form leaving everything to her brother. It seems that the mother's intentions would have been designated on this form. Perhaps the child has grandparents that will be taking care of her. I have to show courage for my daughter who may go overseas. In this terrible economy she did not want to borrow money to go to college and wants the Navy to educate her. She is a 3.25 student. So far the Navy has promoted her to an Education Petty Officer and her confidence has increased. Understand that before this opportunity she was starting to get interested in piercings and hanging around owners of a tatoo shop. Please pray for Rebecca.
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