Fort Bliss chaplain talks about helping families through grieving process of loss of soldiers

For the six families of Fort Bliss soldiers whose relatives died in a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday the grieving process was expected to begin when the troops’ bodies arrived at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday.

A Fort Bliss Chaplain, who did not know the soldiers, but who has been with other families during that process, said the experience is painful.

“The hardest experience, I think it was when they were receiving the body, at the airport. I was there for several of them. It was very hard for the families,” the Rev. Manny Marrufo told ABC-7 in an interview on Wednesday.

The Catholic priest has also been there to notify families of the passing of their loved ones.

“The reality of the death is so shocking for them. It’s a young person who dies… It’s very sad. It’s not even a point of beginning to grieve. It’s just a surprise.”

Fort Bliss and the Army have not commented on the casualties but a German NATO general said the six Americans were killed Sunday when their armored vehicle struck a bomb in Eastern Afghanistan.

They are:
Spc. Erica Alecksen Pvt.
1st Class Cameron Stambaugh
Spc. Clarence William III
Staff Sgt. Ricardo Seija
Pvt. A.J. Pardo Pvt.
1st Class Trevor Adkins

Marrufo said the families can find support in others on post who have been through the same thing.

That gives them a lot of courage to face the moment and to understand that they are not alone, that they can rely not only on someone but a community who are praying for them and helping them through that situation,” Marrufo said.