Eyes said:
O' hell no, a Mortimer and Randolph reference.... :doh: :)
It's so true, though.
I didn't think to instruct my parents not to talk to the media when I deployed, but I never thought it would turn into the big deal that it did.
Long story short, mom talks to a columnist for the local rag, which had grown in circulation, and because we knew this woman (a brother's classmate) from growing up in the same neighborhood, my mother let down her guard. In the end, what was supposed to be a "feel good" human interest story had my mom starting to get emotional, to the point that she is actually quoted as saying "I didn't think it would turn into such a fiasco".
Bear in mind, the article was written and published in November 1990, well before we knew we would be going to cross the border. I still, to this day, can't believe this columnist submitted it for publication, much less that it got past her editor. Whenever I see that bitch around town, she knows to tread lightly around me. She knows how pissed I was that she interviewed my mother.
A real morale builder for me. I can only imagine what my mother might have said if something had happened to me. I didn't send one of those "To be opened in the event of..." letters.
Everybody who deploys should have a little heart to heart with their loved ones to spell out exactly how you want them to comport themselves in the event something happens, and guidelines for dealing with the media regardless of that. You don't have to write any letters, I personally think they're a bad omen, but at least make sure they understand exactly how you want things handled, regardless of the how, why, or wheretofores of what happened.
Just my .02, from personal experience. The media can be a life sucking force, making a bad situation worse, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the situation. Like I said, they'll turn on a dime, and make a profit either way.
