Sheepdog Tip of the Day, After Combat tip 80
In the military community, it is often said that the first victim of combat is truth. Another truism is that the first report from the battlefield is always wrong. Let's say that you have the task of getting information from those involved in a deadly encounter. Your first objective is to capture and preserve the event in the minds of the participants, so you can dissect the information and learn what happened. The first step in maximizing memory retention is to have everyone involved make a report immediately after the occurrence. To get detailed information, you have to do all you can to keep the participants calm and collected. Remember, from the very beginning the goal is to de-link the memory from the emotions. Initially, you want to remove them from where the stressful event took place, as there are many associations there that can act as powerful stressors. Do not offer them coffee or other caffeinated beverages, as the stimulate might hype them even more. Even after taking these precautionary measures, many of them might be so shaky that they have difficulty writing. In those cases, consider having them tape-record their initial reports. Sometimes, for legal purposes, investigators are concerned about "contaminating" the memory process. In those situations you should encourage everyone involved not to go out drinking and rehashing the event with their buddies, but rather go home and get a good night's sleep to help recover additional memory. Sleep helps them achieve a calmer mental state, which in turn helps them consolidate information into their long-term memories. For those who are single and have no one to go home to, it may be helpful to spend the night with a friend. The next day you can conduct a second interview, and then they can conduct their own informal debriefings with each other. To prevent their memories from being contaminated, instruct the participants not to read the paper or watch the news. After the first night's sleep, you can conduct an interview at the location, but you need to be ready to help the participants separate their emotions from their memories. Anticipate that you might have to stop to help an especially emotional person through the tactical breathing process, because by returning to the scene, the participants are exposed to memory cues that facilitate their recall of how the event unfolded. For example, they might see a mailbox at the scene, or some other object that played a critical role that they had forgotten was there. Objects that seem to be inconsequential to people who were not involved just might provide the missing link that brings all the information together.
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, On Combat
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