Convey the following points to the family member: l   It is ok to say no.    The family member is not required to grant a news media interview request. When an interview request is granted, the right to privacy is relinquished and the individual may be harassed by other reporters or the general public. l     Be mindful of the situation. Care must be taken if the family member decides to talk to a reporter. Topics,  such  as  personal  experiences  (emotions, reactions,  etc.),  are  permissible,  but  internal privileged command information (such as the ship’s scheduled port visits), command policy, hypothetical  situations  or  speculation  on  the cause of the accident or incident must be avoided. The individual must avoid repeating stories or rumors  and  refrain  from  offering  an  opinion  on how  something  could  have  been  done  differently. . Do not reveal the surname.  Tell the family member that he or she may grant the interview only if the reporter agrees to omit the surname. This can prevent crank calls and maintain family security. .  The  family  member’s  safety  and  security comes first. The individual does not owe the news media any details about his or her life. THE MEMORIAL SERVICE Learning  Objective:   Recognize  the  planning  aspects with regard to a memorial service. A  memorial  service  involves  military  participation but not full military honors. It is generally held for deceased members whose remains are not recoverable. However,  when  a  command  suffers  a  tragedy  and  the remains  are  recoverable,  it  may  elect  to  conduct  a memorial service so family, shipmates and friends can pay their respects. This is primarily done to preserve the privacy of the funeral. The memorial service can be as modest as a gathering on a destroyer’s fantail or occupy a large aircraft hangar at a naval air station. For example, a main space fire claimed the lives of six sailors aboard the USS  White Plains  (AFS  4)  several years ago while the ship was conducting operations in the  South  China  Sea.  A  memorial  service  was  held  at Naval Air Station Alameda to coincide with the arrival of the members’ remains in the United States (the ship was home ported in Guam at the time of the fire). To accommodate  the  many  family,  friends  and  service members  attending,  the  ceremony  was  held  inside  an aircraft hangar specially converted for the occasion. WRITTEN PLAN Every good plan must be committed to paper, and the memorial service plan is no exception. Following one or two meetings with the organizers and participants of  the  service,  the  finished  plan  should  detail  the responsibilities  of  those  involved  and  include  the schedule  of  events  and  a  diagram  of  the  area.  For maximum effectiveness, the plan should be distributed commandwide as a notice. RESPONSIBILITIES Responsibilities   of   those   involved   might   look something  like  the  following: l l l Officer-in-charge:  The  overall  coordinator  for the memorial service plan and the schedule of events. This individual is usually a senior officer in the command, but the CO may designate the PAO to be the officer-in-charge, regardless of rank. Ensures color guard, honor guard, escorts and  pall  bearers  (if  applicable)  are  properly briefed,  trained  and  inspected  before  the ceremony.  Arranges  separate  waiting/assembly areas for military officials and family members; provides  podium,  public  address  system  and chairs; ensures medical personnel are on standby at the ceremony; briefs security personnel on the time,  date  and  location  of  the  ceremony  and requests  “free”  entry  for  personnel  attending. Senior Chaplain: Provides  details  for  the memorial  service  schedule;  coordinates  the preparation and distribution of programs with the PAO; assigns one chaplain to each family (in the event of more than one death); meets and escorts family  members  to  the  waiting  area  and ceremony. PAO or Senior Journalist:  Provides  media advisory  and  naval  message  announcing  the ceremony;  produces  the  media  coverage  plan (similar to the one described in the “PAO/CACO Relationship”  section);  provides  press  assistance to  families  as  required;  briefs  courtesy  CACOs; produces the press release and disseminates it to the media; arranges video recordings and still photos  of  the  ceremony;  coordinates  musical selections with the Navy Band (if applicable); prepares  the  ceremony  program  and  ensures  the 2-32