thedrifter
02-11-09, 07:20 AM
February 11, 2009
Obama to review coffin photo ban
Lasting controversy pits respect for families' privacy vs. public's desire to know
By BETH MILLER
The News Journal
President Barack Obama's decision to reconsider Defense Department policy that prevents members of the media from being at Dover Air Force Base when the remains of slain troops arrive at the military's largest mortuary drew strong and divergent response Tuesday.
Obama made the statement Monday night in his first prime-time press conference as president. He said first that he had been notified earlier in the day of the deaths of four U.S. soldiers in Iraq and that his "thoughts and prayers" were with their families.
"You know, people have asked me, 'When did it hit you that you are now president?' " he said. "And what I told them was the most sobering moment is signing letters to the families of our fallen heroes. It reminds you of the responsibilities that you carry in this office and the consequences of the decisions that you make."
He said he has not decided on the policy and wouldn't until "I have evaluated that review and understand all the implications involved."
Vice President Joe Biden in 2004 had urged a change to the policy, when he told CNN, "This is the last long ride home. These young men and women are heroes. And the idea that they're essentially snuck back into the country under the cover of night so no one can see that their casket has arrived, I just think is wrong."
Biden's staff did not respond Tuesday to requests for comment.
Frank Dorrin of Smyrna knew what he would say to Obama. Three of Dorrin's four sons have served in the military -- in the Marines, Air Force and Navy.
"I would tell him that it would be incredibly insensitive and I would be adamantly opposed to it," Dorrin said Tuesday.
Judy Campbell of Brandywine Hundred said the intense emotions that follow such loss make it essential that the privacy of family members be respected. Forty-two years ago today, she and her family learned that her 20-year-old brother, Keith, had been killed in Vietnam -- 19 days after he arrived there.
She remembers standing at Andrews Air Force Base by special arrangement as his remains arrived there.
"To me, we were standing on hallowed ground and trying to come to grips with the fact that my brother was in that box coming off the conveyor belt," said Campbell. "Death is very personal, and people should be allowed to have their privacy during this time."
Privacy considerations were among those cited when the no-media policy started during the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Some exceptions were made until the administration of President George W. Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a press briefing Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he thinks having another look at the policy "makes all kinds of sense" and he has put a short deadline on the review.
Gates said the no-media policy was set to discourage family members from attending the transfers. If members of the media were at Dover to cover returns, family members would feel compelled to be there, causing delay and financial hardship for some. In addition, he said, there were privacy concerns.
"If the needs of the families can be met and the privacy concerns can be addressed, the more honor we can accord these fallen heroes, the better," he said.
In 2005, the Pentagon released hundreds of photographs taken by government photographers in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by University of Delaware professor and former CNN correspondent Ralph Begleiter. Begleiter wanted public access to photographs taken by government officials, and said Tuesday he was preparing a letter to White House counsel.
"The only way to assess the true cost of any war is to include in that assessment the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice -- not only the casualties themselves but also their families," Begleiter said. "All of us as a nation need to pay our respects to those fallen troops and one way is to be aware of it."
Dorrin said respect should be shown from a distance in these cases.
"Spectators are unavoidable," he said, "but they should show their respect from a distance."
Ellie
Obama to review coffin photo ban
Lasting controversy pits respect for families' privacy vs. public's desire to know
By BETH MILLER
The News Journal
President Barack Obama's decision to reconsider Defense Department policy that prevents members of the media from being at Dover Air Force Base when the remains of slain troops arrive at the military's largest mortuary drew strong and divergent response Tuesday.
Obama made the statement Monday night in his first prime-time press conference as president. He said first that he had been notified earlier in the day of the deaths of four U.S. soldiers in Iraq and that his "thoughts and prayers" were with their families.
"You know, people have asked me, 'When did it hit you that you are now president?' " he said. "And what I told them was the most sobering moment is signing letters to the families of our fallen heroes. It reminds you of the responsibilities that you carry in this office and the consequences of the decisions that you make."
He said he has not decided on the policy and wouldn't until "I have evaluated that review and understand all the implications involved."
Vice President Joe Biden in 2004 had urged a change to the policy, when he told CNN, "This is the last long ride home. These young men and women are heroes. And the idea that they're essentially snuck back into the country under the cover of night so no one can see that their casket has arrived, I just think is wrong."
Biden's staff did not respond Tuesday to requests for comment.
Frank Dorrin of Smyrna knew what he would say to Obama. Three of Dorrin's four sons have served in the military -- in the Marines, Air Force and Navy.
"I would tell him that it would be incredibly insensitive and I would be adamantly opposed to it," Dorrin said Tuesday.
Judy Campbell of Brandywine Hundred said the intense emotions that follow such loss make it essential that the privacy of family members be respected. Forty-two years ago today, she and her family learned that her 20-year-old brother, Keith, had been killed in Vietnam -- 19 days after he arrived there.
She remembers standing at Andrews Air Force Base by special arrangement as his remains arrived there.
"To me, we were standing on hallowed ground and trying to come to grips with the fact that my brother was in that box coming off the conveyor belt," said Campbell. "Death is very personal, and people should be allowed to have their privacy during this time."
Privacy considerations were among those cited when the no-media policy started during the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Some exceptions were made until the administration of President George W. Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a press briefing Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he thinks having another look at the policy "makes all kinds of sense" and he has put a short deadline on the review.
Gates said the no-media policy was set to discourage family members from attending the transfers. If members of the media were at Dover to cover returns, family members would feel compelled to be there, causing delay and financial hardship for some. In addition, he said, there were privacy concerns.
"If the needs of the families can be met and the privacy concerns can be addressed, the more honor we can accord these fallen heroes, the better," he said.
In 2005, the Pentagon released hundreds of photographs taken by government photographers in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by University of Delaware professor and former CNN correspondent Ralph Begleiter. Begleiter wanted public access to photographs taken by government officials, and said Tuesday he was preparing a letter to White House counsel.
"The only way to assess the true cost of any war is to include in that assessment the people who have made the ultimate sacrifice -- not only the casualties themselves but also their families," Begleiter said. "All of us as a nation need to pay our respects to those fallen troops and one way is to be aware of it."
Dorrin said respect should be shown from a distance in these cases.
"Spectators are unavoidable," he said, "but they should show their respect from a distance."
Ellie