Evidence from bereaved families of women soldiers- loss and moral trauma
Abstract: The literature on the trauma and loss of bereaved families of women soldiers killed during military service in combat or combat-related activities is particularly sparse. The current study thus aims to extend the knowledge base on trauma, loss, and war experiences to include the voices of bereaved family members of women soldiers and to explore the chain of events informing the relationship between the bereaved families and the military. We present a qualitative analysis of personal interviews with 23 bereaved parents or siblings of women combat-support soldiers who were killed while serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the day of the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Three main themes emerged from the analysis: the absence of information from the military to the families during the first days of war; flaws in the identification of bodies; and chaos and misinformation regarding the status of casualties. Emotional responses common to all the bereaved families included devastation, confusion, anger, a sense of insult, and a feeling of betrayal by the military and the state. The painful evidence that we present can provide empirical, theoretical and practical lessons to be learnt from the severe mistakes that were made during military warfare that involved multiple casualties. By examining the case study of the Hamas attack of October 7 and analyzing how such lessons can be applied- theoretically and practically- to the experiences of state militaries around the globe, we will contribute to securing the well-being of bereaved families.