What may impact grief: Official procedures and protocols

Service protocols can introduce delays and uncertainty into your grief.

If my husband had died of a disease, the funeral and the burial would have happened within a few days of his death. Whereas in the military, at least in our case, it was almost two weeks before our funeral, and everything else was over. So you had all this buildup of ‘What are we doing?’ and not knowing what to expect. - Family Member

As difficult as it may be for the families - their deceased loved one died in the service of Canada. Their death also "belongs" to the country and Canadians who feel the need to share in the grief and honour them in ways big and small. - Military Veteran

Protocol and honours in the aftermath of a service-related death can be a significant source of support, but can also be difficult to witness.

It was difficult driving home and seeing flags lowered on the highway near our place, realizing that this was for our son. We just found out he died, and this crushing thing we were trying to wrap our minds around was being announced for the world. - Family Member

Pictures in my head that bother me still: my two grandsons standing on the tarmac watching their dad come home and their mother holding them... I get flashbacks of it that overwhelm me. - Family Member