Fallen Hero Commemoration Act Would End Ban On Photos Of Returning Military Dead

The Department of Defense would be required to grant journalists access to ceremonies honoring fallen military personnel under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The legislation is significant because it would, for the first time since Vietnam, let photojournalists capture the powerful images of flag-draped caskets arriving on American soil during wartime.

This week the bill won the endorsement of the National Press Photographers Association.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[ThankGodforAtheists]

It's about time. I always thought this was an insult to the honor of the soldiers. Typical Bush crap.

[AzRealProgressive]

Like the article said, since Vietnam. A bit before Bush.

[rwe]

that would be Pres Johnson crap

[cmp]

Doesn't all this fly in the face of a free press and freedom of speech ? Where does this administration get off with controlling the press ? The rag papers don't have any problem exposing Brittneys bare ass; surely they wouldn't mind a few pictures of our real heros once in a while. Since the beginning of this war, I have yet to see a single photo of a flag draped coffin in my local paper. Nothing brought the Vietnam war to a close faster than the visable outrage caused by photos exhibited in a free press. What the hell ! Is this China or America ? There are too many people out there who feel this war was a good thing. I'll bet they'd think twice about it if they saw a cargo plane FILLED with flag dreped coffins.

[AzRealProgressive]

Here is why. Because people like you use coffins as political ideology tools and nothing else. You could care less about honoring anyone as long as you and yours make political points from it. 350,000 Americans died in WW2, and 35,000 more in Korea, and no one made it a point to photograph the dead when they came home. It was considered ghoulish.

[Beninn]

We are in a bogus war, sold to the American people on lies, and this administration has relied on "Out of sight, out of mind" to assist it in the bilking of the US Treasury to the tune of $12 billion a month.

The fact that it's taken 7 years to get this bill shows that the Democrats are no better than Boosh. This bill has been timed to coincide with the elections.

If you want a healthy thriving democracy, the people of the US have to participate at every level. That includes seeing the fruits of decisions made by elected representatives of the people. It should also include reinstating the draft. If everyone had a direct stake in wars started by the rich elites for the benefit of the rich elites, there wouldn't be any such wars.

[ejay579]

Political ideology tools? I guess the entire spiel that we have to incur more deaths than the deaths we have already incurred so that the earlier deaths were not a waste is not the "use of coffins as political ideology tools". Does out of site out of mind have any relevance to you? Let those who fully imbrace such insanity see the result of theirs hugs. We honor them by declaring that although we pissed your life away, we will use you as an example that we will not do the same thing in the future. I can think of not greater tribute. Do you subscribe to the Stalinist belief that a small number of deaths is insignificant but a large number is a tragedy. One of the guiding principal of the western way of life is that we celebrate the individual rather than the collective. In a sense we in the west are the antithesis of Joseph Stalin. Are you and those who want to hide behind invisible coffins?

[rwe]

cmp, This administration had nothing to do with this .... READ THE ARTICLE ... pres johnson... and this is being put through by a Republican..

[wolf58]

Out of site out of mind, this is the policy of our government. Bush had asked America to sacrifice by going shopping while our brothers and sisters in their flag draped caskets were brought in under the cover of darkness and secrecy. This is how we honor their service this is how we honor their sacrifice. Every American should welcome them home when they arrive at Dover. Every American should see their flag draped casket as it takes its final journey. Every American should feel the pain of the loved ones left behind. As American should make sure that our government does not send these young people off to war that should never be fought. We as a people owe it to those who are willing to put it all on line for us and ask nothing in return.
Shopping is not sacrifice...

[sa]

the only way war could happen
is if no one ever knows what happens
"over there."

shutting down the press is job one
by any dictator. bush is ours.

"keeping up morale" and propoganda
become the same thing.

dictator bush, and his people, not only
totally eviscerated descent, but they took with it "decent" as well.
not only did they nueter a free press,
but they hypnotized the stupid with media propoganda
and fox news.

honestly, one could look at what was the vision of our forefounders
and their amibitions for a truly free man and a free nation,
and understand that fox news was a gun to shoot that vision in its heart,
and bush/cheney and co. held that gun.

p.s. of course all of this is happening at the END of bush's dictatorship.
look for gitmo to close, and fairer treatment of prisoners, and better terms
for american soldiers, and all things good to happen as bush leaves office,
so as to create an effect as a "good man" riding into the sunset - let us all pray,
for "america's" sake, that that sunset includes prison and worse.

[AzRealProgressive]

You have not a clue.Eminating from this post is pure stench, hate and vitrol. Every point you make is some far left academic rant. What are you trying to do? Make points for some American hating professor so you get extra credit? There is no dictatorship, this country has a Democretic controlled congress since 2006. What a loon job.

[FZliveson]

Graphically stated; "The soldiers' coffins are the fruit of the business of war." The American taxpayer paid for the production of the war and therefore own the right to the fruit. Our population deserves the right...no needs to be confronted with the truth of what is going on. The sight of the bereaved, the flags, the black garb, the dirges, all bring home the truth of war and help make it real to those of us who are so encumbered by the B.S. of American culture and "modern" lifestyle.

[AzRealProgressive]

Total bull. You see it as a political tool and could care less abouut honoring anybody.

[AzRealProgressive]

What a total tool. A complete waste of an intellect. Smart little analogies that mean nothing. Obviously an intellectual. Someone educated above his capacity to understand what he was taught.

[JerseyBob]

Welcome Home

Basking in sulfurous light,
the Decider casts shadows:
Shade murking a causa belli,
Darkness offending in Dover.

[mamacat]

The decision to forbid pictures of returning coffins was made in order to protect politicians, not to give honor to the fallen soldiers.

[heal57]

You can say that again. Pictures need to be shown. If this was a real democracy the media would have shown flag-draped coffins. Since the dictator in the WH says otherwise, the media gives in. The public needs to see what this war is doing to our servicemen and women. The repubs want war and all its horror out of sight. The republican owned msm just caved as usual.
Show Americans what's really happening. The WH does not give a damn about fallen or injured soldiers, or their families. Wake up America.

[awcbuddy8]

That really changed things during the Civil War. After the first ever battlefield photos from Antietam showing piles of dead American soldiers were spread around, the war stopped right then and there. Good call.

[gcallaghan]

The secrecy surrounding the fallen is to keep the public from realizing the human cost of UU's war. If they simply watch Fux News and keep shopping, they'll be primed for the lies when UU writes his legacy

Because this bill will contradict UU's legacy by introducing some truth, expect him and his apologist trolls to express outrage over it.

[Aramingo]

What you have here is a group of people who don't have the guts to see the consequences of their ideas. Chickenshit chickenhawks. Having said that, I agree with others who have posted saying it should be the family's - or better yet the soldier's - decision.

[crazylikeafox]

They wanted to make sure the war was not in any way visible to Americans. And it worked. Most barely remember we are still there.

[AzRealProgressive]

What a complete dolt. Everone knows we are there. You just do not get to make cheap points from their sacrifice.

[Vige]

It is a national disgrace the our fallen soldiers are snuck in by the back door to their final resting place.

[AzRealProgressive]

Snuck in? What idiocy prompted that post? A military flight to Dover is snuck in? The reason for no photos is to offer the family protection from ghouls like you, who use the dead for political points. You could care less about honoring them, just making cheap political points from their sacrifice,

[lisakaz2]

I think those killed in action have rather been lost thanks to this ban. It seems only Booo$hco, not the soldiers' families. I'm glad some in the msm (e.g., Nancy Grace) put their pics up and tell you a little about each profiled. It's very said to see because they're all soooo young typically. But they should be seen.

[AzRealProgressive]

It is ghoulish and only serves to play politics with the dead.

[Whinger]

It's not motivated by concern for the family, merely to hide the true horror of the cost in patriot lives!

[AzRealProgressive]

Not hardly. No one hides a thing. every casualty of this war had been named in news outlets, some many times over, and memorialized to varying degrees.. One soldier here had a freeway and a mountain peak named after her. Next time post something close to the truth instead of an illumination of your total ignorance of events.

[VOTER]

Check out the following:

http://www.arlingtoncemetary.net/etcaldwell.html

Here is the biography of one of our soldiers, his life and his death.
Here is the pain of his family and friends.

Americans right now have very little understanding of the sacrifices made during
Bush's War. We need to know.

[VOTER]

Sorry for my spelling error. Here is the link.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/etcaldwell.html

[VOTER]

Yikes.............. : - /

One more time..................

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/etcaldwell.htm

This is a beautiful tribute so I hope to get it posted once and for all.

[AzRealProgressive]

You are so full of it, that a river is running out of both ears. Every soldier who died here in Arizona has been profiled in the news. Some many times over. One had a mountain and a parkway named after her. Anericans are well aware of sacrifices made on their behalf. The only people who seem unaware are dolts like you who fail to comprehend that American are intelligent people, 85% of Americans would laugh at this post. You are the one without understanding.

[sparkey]

I'll make a wild guess here. The bill will take effect on Jan. 21, 2009, right after Cheney's puppet leaves office. Then, people can see all the coffins coming in and Obama will get the blame for not stopping the war. This will come from FOX news.

[mamacat]

One day after the inauguration, the right wing pundits will be blaming the war on the Democrats.

[proudloudlib]

Obviously, even if you set aside both the interests of the government and of the press, there would still not be agreement among the families. Access should be granted based on the wishes of the next of kin, case by case, period.

[VOTER]

Absolutely.

There shouldn't be a ban. There shouldn't be open access.

The decision should be made by the families.

[SurrealPumpkin]

there were some families that wanted coverage but it wasn't allowed.

unfortunately I'm not sure where I saw the reference, probably right here on huffpo