The Messanger is a 2009 film about Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, who is sent home and assigned to the Army's Casualty Notification Service following injuries received in combat. Montgomery partners with Captain Tony Stone, tasked with informing the next of kin of fallen Soldiers. As they assume their responsibilities, the partners experience the heart-wrenching reactions of grieving families and undergo an ethical dilemma balancing their responsibility to maintain a strict composure and allowing their compassion to assist those in need.
The partners portray two extremes of the ethical dilemma. Montgomery, grieving his combat injuries, allows his compassion to guide his actions. Whereas Stone, a veteran of the Notification Service, strictly adheres to Army policy - avoid comforting the next of kin. There is a balance between the two options. Messengers should default to professionalism, as expected of a military service member. However, in moments of grief, the messengers should respond to the next of
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With the news of their fallen Soldier, the next of kin desperately need compassion. Instead, the Notification Service's policy is to respect the boundaries of the grieving family by avoiding all involvement. During processing, in reference to the next of kin, the messengers are told: "Don't hug them. Don't touch them. Don't get involved in any way". Stone internalizes this message as he believes it better respects the fallen Soldier's death, the next of kin, and minimizes the risk of delivering the news inappropriately. However, Stone's dissociation from the next of kin presents more as a defense mechanism to protect himself from the terrible news than to respect the family. Despite Stone's efforts, he is still troubled by the news, highlighting the messengers' emotional burden and the current policy's deficiency to protect the