[jaykay]

I think they are informing the families because the press is getting some or all of the info and it would be terrible to learn of what happened to their loved ones from TV or newspaper reports. Note the story of the last hours of an American POW, probably Spc. Kiehl, in the excerpt from a NY Times article in my previous post.

[OldEagle]

It adds up.
The actions are a fact of this war and probably all wars. Perhaps the widow wanted to know the facts of her husbands death. War is hell. I think Pete Seeger (yes I'm that old) had a line "...I'll always wonder why, the worst of men must fight, and the best of men must die".
Some things never change.