McCain blocks WNYers’ bid to rebury sailors in U.S.

The Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY ^ | 2011-12-02 | Jerry Zremski

[rabscuttle385]

WASHINGTON — Two hundred and seven years after their deaths, 13 of the Navy’s first fallen heroes this week came closer than ever to returning home from the shores of Tripoli — thanks in part to the efforts of two veterans’ advocates from Western New York.

But then Sen. John McCain got in the way.

[tutstar]

Mc Cain stinks!

[null and void]

Even with Obama as the opponent.

Thank God the GOP has open primaries so democrats can cross-over and select their candidates for them, eh?

[tutstar]

Gnip

[napscoordinator]

Thank God this guy did not become President. I know Obama is 1 percent worse but this guy is a creep. First he want to raise health care on military retirees, he calls getting information from terrorists, torture, he wants to cut spending on the Pentagon. Why is he still getting a military retirement check? Sheesh. 20 years of military service and doesn’t seem to remember a thing and now blocking veterans who should be buried in their hometowns.

[TribalPrincess2U]

He has a loose screw.

[napscoordinator]

Well I did 24 years and the only time that I know of that we did not get the remains back to the families if they were completely lost at sea. I witnessed many souls coming back through Sigonella Naval Air Station from Iraq and Afghanistan to the family in the states. If a Sailor died on the ship (I was stationed on three), we would send them to their families. But I am not an expert of course but that is just my experience from 24 years.

[DoughtyOne]

If we're talking about eight dead service members, I say bring them home. If we're talking about a massive grave site such as those in France, I say leave them there.

What pains me about McCain, is that it is always his vision that he thinks is most important. Never-mind what everyone else thought, "He's right!

It was the same thing when it came to McCain's lone vote that gave Hanoi MFN at the cost of us putting the M.I.A. issue to rest.

I don't know how many people fully understand this, but McCain's sole vote struck down the M.I.A. issue so Hanoi could get M.F.N.

If for no other reason, I loathe this bastard, and will to the day I die. He and Jane Fonda will never live down what they have done, at least for me they won't.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Yes. I voted for Sarah, and I gave money for Sarah.

[DoughtyOne]

Point being, McCain struck down our M.I.A. block, on giving M.F.N. to Vietnam. Who knows how many this left behind, to be buried on Vietnamese soil, if they were buried at all.

[freedumb2003]

Thanks — 24 years is a lot of time (to me, anyway).

Thank you for your service and thanks again for the insight.

[Roccus]

I understood, which is why I worded my post the way I did. Just tried to show the difference between “missing” and interred.

(I put missing in quotes because I believe the Vietnamese know more than they’ve let on......bargaining chips)

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks Rossus, sorry I missed it. I agree with your take on things, and also believe the Vietnamese played fast and loose with our men.

[DoughtyOne]

Sorry, that Rossus was unintentional, Roccus.

After I hit send, I noticed it and couldn’t get it back.

[exit82]

Once again, John McCain has to be a stain on America.

A few points:

1. There is ceretainly wide precedent for return of remains from foreign soil. Witness the hundreds of remains in the last 25 years returned from various final resting places from WW2, Korea and Vietnam.

2. Where we have many American boys buried in overseas cemeteries, their graves are maintained and respected. These graves are not bein cared for, and are in shockingly bad condition.

3. We are talking about the remains of 13 men, who gave their lives half a planet away from their homes, and helped to end the Libyan pirates’ piracy and forced enslavement of other American sailors. These men helped to change the course of history, and desrve to be brought home.

4. In Moslem lands, the gracves of infidels are on a par with those of dogs. Our men deserve better.

5. With today’s forensic and transport abilities, there is no excuse for not bringing these men home.

6. These men do not belong to the Secretary of the Navy. They belong to the nation, and have earned that position with the exchange of their very lives.Neither the NAVSEC or Sen. John McCain have the final say in all of this.

7. John McCain has been a disgrace to America since 1989 and the Keating Five. His enthusiastic embrace of his former NV tormentor, his blocking of finding the rest of our Vietnam MIAs, and his public humilation of the POW/MIA families has shown his traitorous tendencies. He can go to hell, and he can take his cranially challenged daughter with him.

[bamahead]

From the page http://www.intrepidproject.org:

United States Navy Master Commandant Richard Somers was one of the first officers to enlist in the new Navy at the turn of the 19th Century. The young officer and his men fought gallantly in America’s first naval war against the States of North Africa. He died with his 12-man crew of the USS Intrepid on September 4, 1804 while engaged in a secret mission during the Battle of Tripoli.

Today the first Navy commandos lie abandoned in mass graves in a foreign land.

When their bodies washed up on the shores of Tripoli, the bashaw - the king of the pirates - invited a pack of dogs to devour them as American prisoners of war looked on. These 13 naval heroes remain buried today in mass graves in Libya. One of those graves may be unmarked and underfoot on the Tripoli plaza where Gaddafy has held his anti-America rallies for decades. Unfortunately, many Washington bureaucrats want to leave these men right where they are, buried like captives, not like American heroes.

[DoughtyOne]

Couldn’t agree more, and most of what you posted was considered when I made my comments. I appreciate the recitation and the conclusion. Both are cranially challenged to be sure.

[rabscuttle385]

If I said what I truly thought about McCain, I would probably be banned from FR.

[DoughtyOne]

Not to fret, when it comes to what you’re thinking, we’re way ahead of you. Well, at least right in there with you. LOL

[The Great RJ]

If money is the issue perhaps the billions we send in aid to Pakistan or the millions spent to teach Chinese prostitutes to wash their genitals could be tapped for a more useful endeavor.

[brityank]

MICHAEL JAROSZ, METUCHEN, NJ gives a decent explanation in his comments below the story:

I looked further into the history of this issue. What this article should have made more clear, is that this policy of leaving them where they fell is essentially an 18th century approach and has long since changed. It took months to cross the oceans back then. The policy becan to change during the Civil War. Today, with modern aircraft, everyone can be brought home in a few short hours.

The tone of the article implies we are still doing it. We are not. Think of the photos you have seen of flag draped coffins from Afghanistan in the news. Stifle your anger for a minute to realize that we are bringing our troops home.

On Memorial Day 2010, the Wall Street Journal ran an article on "How we bury the war dead" [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704269204575270841057314162.html] It points out that 170,000 of WW2 casualties out of 280,000 were returned to the US.

This is a standard trick that Congress plays, I am suprised Mr Zremski doesn't expose it as such.

Take a must-pass bill like Social Security and amend it. No one will vote against it. Everyone knows that. For example, Senator John Doe from Chattahoochie adds an amendment to the Social Security Bill to add $50,000 for new playground equipment in his hometown. Senator McCain recognizes this game and votes against it. His opponents scream "McCAIN OPPOSES SOCIAL SECURITY!!!!!" Not so. McCain actually opposes $50,000 for playground equipment in Chattahochie. By the way, Senator Doe's brother-in-law sells playground equipment in Chattahoochie.

Read some of the Bills before Congress. They're stuffed with irrelevant amendments hoping to pass on the coattails of major legislation like the Pentagon Budget. Many get dumped when the two houses have to compromise to get the big bill passed.

Every politician in Buffalo knows this little game. Ask Bill Stachowski how it works.

To his credit, Mr Caputo is willing to support separate legislation, which is how this should properly be done. The emotional issue of bringing war casualties home for burial requires more information. I know that reinternment at home was offered after WW2, and most Jewish families took advantage of it, not wanting their loved ones to be buried on the continent that created the Halocaust. To that extent, there are, or have been, Federal reinternment legislation for fallen heroes.

McCain is a disgrace, and has been since the Keating Five, but I do believe he is correct here. The problem is that nefarious term appended to most Bills presented in both the House and Senate -- "... and for other purposes." I would support a separate Bill for recovery/reburial, but not as here - an afterthought!