Once an In-Theatre casualty occurs, the Unit Commander must appoint a Summary Court Martial Officer (SCMO) to retrieve the Soldier’s PE. PE is defined as the privately owned, moveable, and personal property of a Soldier. An inventory of the PE must be conducted In-Theatre within 12 hours of the incident. Once complete, the PE is packaged and sent to Joint Personal Effects Depot (JPED). Another inventory is conducted and passed to the Casualty Assistance Officer (CAO). The CAO is responsible for delivering and reviewing the PE with the PERE(s). The State-Side SCMO determines the PERE(s) using available personnel records (i.e. the will) or follows the Order of Precedence stated in AR 638-2.
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