Reading The Pictures: How A War Out-Of-Sight Becomes A War Out-Of-Mind

Dana Milbank's Washington Sketch this past Thursday is a painful, if must read.

Clearly and simply, the article describes how a war out-of-sight can quickly become a war out-of-mind. More specifically, it details how the Pentagon is visually censoring military funerals at Arlington, even when the family has given permission for media coverage.

Painting the situation surrounding Wednesday's "open" funeral of Lt. Col. Billy Hall, who left behind two children and two step-children, Milbank writes:

Journalists were held 50 yards from the service, separated from the mourning party by six or seven rows of graves, and staring into the sun and penned in by a yellow rope. Photographers and reporters pleaded with Arlington officials.

"There will be a yellow rope in the face of the next of kin," protested one photographer with a large telephoto lens.

"This is the best shot you're going to get," a man from the cemetery replied.

The first photo above lays out the problem in simple geography. The second photo, which accompanied the second story below -- dealing strictly with the funeral, and not the media angle -- features a telephoto shot of Lt. Col. Hall's family receiving a ceremonial flag, his children obstructed by a pole.

What the Family Would Let You See, the Pentagon Obstructs (WAPO - Milbank)
'Warm, Gracious' Marine Laid to Rest: Fifteen-Year Veteran From Seattle Served In Iraq, Afghanistan (WAPO)

For more of the visual, visit BAGnewsNotes.com.

(images: Gerald Martineau - The Washington Post. April 23, 2008. Arlington Memorial Cemetery. washingtonpost.com)

Comments

[mfsomom]

Our soldiers continue to come home in the dark of night, hidden from sight so that the true cost of this horrific war may escape our attention long enough for W to hand his mess over to the next president. Shameful. These fallen heroes deserve to be honored, their families and loved ones embraced by a mourning and sorrowful nation, instead of isolated and marginalized to protect the political careers and legacies of those who have condemned them to this quiet and uncelebrated end. These are OUR sons and daughters folks. I remain inconsolable and heartbroken.

[Overd0g]

The "true cost" of this war is terrible, but very small compared with historical norms. This long, dragged out affair is the cost of not conducting a scorched earth war (like WW2). Wars really shouldn't be fought unless they are fought to win, and to win quickly and decisively. That strategy has costs too, of course, generally in the form of civilians on the losing side.

[akaJohnQ]

Bush and his band of chickenhawks are pitiful excuses for leaders. They never sacrifice anything for their country, while requiring others to sacrifice everything. They won't allow us to see the flag draped coffins returning from Iraq because each one is a reminder of the incompetence of the Bush administration. The phrase "mission accomplished" has such a hollow ring to it.

[Overd0g]

I didn't realize military service was compulsory.

[Gilda]

So under what "rules of law" are the pentagon operating that they are allowed to censor the media
coverage. Maybe the journalist should show some balls and film outside of the yellow
rope. What would happen? Arrest? Now that would be a story!

[nellie]

Perhaps the most sociopathic and disgraceful dictate of the Bush administration—to ban the photographing of coffins returning from Iraq.

We do not forget.

[Bluedog12]

We owe each family a debt that is unpayable. To acknowledge the loss of brave men and women is patriotic. To hide the loss is shameful for this administration and for those of us that let this continue.

[MikeDu]

The Army and Marines websites have been pretty much cleansed of their more recent Iraq war photos. Even all those ubiquitous - and somewhat absurd - U.S. Army photos of smiling Iraqi children tugging on the heart-strings of patrolling U.S. soldiers are gone. Someone in the Pentagon has obviously come to the conclusion that if the American public is reminded of the war they won't return their favorite 'military industrial complex' right-wingers to office.

[willie3070]

Every american aught to feel the shame of this disturbing and unamerican conduct.As a old vet I do not understand how we the people of the greatest democracy ever can stand by and see how these brave men can be so blatently disrespected is beyound me. We need to stand up as one and not only stop this practice but demand areturn to openness. These many things make is all very little and weak as a people.I think all of the bygone patriots must be turning in their graves. How can we not ALL be ashmed of ourselves for allowing this to take place or to continue.I myself am ashamed.

[RamonBackwards]

encourage the young people you see NOT TO ENLIST. while i agree with you, dozens more will die this year because of one bad decision - signing up.

when more vets start saying "don't do it, it's not worth it" people might really start to heed that advice.

for those who believe in pre-emptive war, for those who believe in torture, for those who believe in Bush policies, sign up twice. we're a better nation without you.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

i agree wholeheartedly.

[lisakaz2]

They ARE being disrespected by those DC chickenhawks who didn't serve themselves nor would they want anyone in their own families to do what you do. The vets are being disrespected when trying to get help returning to society. At every turn, this govt washes their hands and dismisses those who pay some mighty steep prices to do their bidding.

What I want to know is how much longer can this military accept this lousy treatment and not do anything about it? Could Bill Clinton have gotten away with this crap? Why does anyone related to this FUBAR do so?

[joanndarc]

à La Guerre Comme à La Guerre!
This country has NO draft, so people have a choice to go to war or otherwise. If the war is illigal then the people who conduct the war are criminals.