Protocol may change on condolence letters to families of troops after suicide

Military condolence letter review to conclude 'shortly'
By Elaine Quijano, CNN
December 10, 2009 4:56 p.m. EST

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Protocol dates to Clinton administration; some families think it needs to be changed
Father, mother of soldier who committed suicide in Iraq are among them
Lack of letter leaves feeling that family "somehow [made] less of a sacrifice," father says

Washington (CNN) -- The White House says its review of a long-standing policy not to send condolence letters to the families of military suicide victims should "hopefully" conclude "shortly."

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president himself asked for the review, with Gibbs telling reporters at the White House briefing on Wednesday, "If the president didn't care, the policy would remain unchanged and unexamined."

The protocol dates as far back as the Clinton administration. But now, some military families, including the Keesling family of Indiana, believe the policy needs to be changed.

In June, 25-year-old Army Spc. Chancellor Keesling shot and killed himself in Iraq. His parents, Gregg and Jannett, eventually set up a memorial wall in their home, leaving space for what they thought would be a condolence letter from the commander in chief.
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/10/condolence.letters/