We Regret to Inform You

Author Joanne Steen tackles the subject that terrifies parents of military personnel―the death of their son or daughter on active duty. Steen addresses many of the thorniest issues that confront Gold Star parents. With an honesty found at the kitchen table, she provides these parents with a head-nodding understanding of their reactions, plus a path for them to survive their life-changing loss, cope with its profound grief, and develop the resilience to move forward. In short, easy-to-read chapters parents find thoughtful explanations and trustworthy advice for coping with military grief. Steen weaves together realistic examples with voices of other Gold Star parents, connecting the readers to the wisdom of those parents who have walked in their shoes.

We Regret to Inform You provides dedicated chapters for the relatives, friends, and professional service providers of Gold Star parents, supplying them with what they need to know about military loss; what to expect in the parents; and best practices on what to say and ways to help support them.

Joanne Steen has more than twenty years’ experience in the grief and loss field, with a specialty in military loss. She is a board-certified counselor, instructor, Gold Star widow, and the founder of Grief Solutions, a training company on grief, loss and resilience. Steen is also the coauthor of Military Widow: A Survival Guide (Naval Institute Press, 2006)