War widow says life insurance for all
By Laura Forbes
Posted: Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:32 a.m.
Although 96% of service members have insurance policies through the government, some say it is just not enough.
Richelle Hecker was recently featured in Newsweek, in an ad by the non-profit organization "Life".
Her husband, Major William Hecker, was killed serving in Iraq. She wants people to understand how important life insurance has been in her ordeal. And why every family should have it.
Richelle Hecker was able to stay at home with her four children when they needed her most.
She said, "It took a major load off to know that i wasn't going to have to grieve, and help my children grieve, and go to work."
It also took a load off her eldest child, who was then nine-years-old.
"I went in her room to comfort her and the first thing she said to me is, 'Mommy I figured out a way to get money I'm gonna get a job,'" said Hecker. "It was sweet, but it was nice to be able to say, 'Daddy took care of that.'"
Her financial advisor, seen with her in the ad, is the wife of Hecker's Commander, who saw the IED attack.
"So he was able to say, 'You take care of her, or I'll take care of you." Hecker joked.
She says First Command Financial Services has taken care of her.
The New York Times reported that the company was marketing a high fee plan to soldiers, before doing away with that plan and settling for 12 million dollars. Hecker calls it biased reporting that assumes people are ignorant.
"Obviously they're ignorant if they signed up to join the military don't they know we're at war?" she joked.
She says her insurance allowed her to move away from Texas, and the bad memories it holds, without having to sell their home in a bad market. And she says coverage is not just for those with dangerous jobs.
She said, "War doesn't increase the death rate, and Katrina didn't. One out of every one person will die. Its the ultimate statistic. And people just don't want to believe it."
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