Posted on 04/29/2005 8:49:41 AM PDT by Former Military Chick
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon, under pressure from open-government advocates, released hundreds of images Thursday of flag-draped coffins of American soldiers.
The Pentagon had previously refused to release such images, which were taken by military photographers. Nor has it allowed the news media to photograph ceremonies of soldiers' coffins arriving in the United States, saying it is enforcing a policy installed in 1991 to respect the privacy of families of dead soldiers.
The pictures were released in response to a request for all military photos of caskets containing the remains of American soldiers taken since the U.S. launched its attack on Afghanistan in October 2001. Some critics have contended the government is trying to hide the human cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Pentagon provided most of the images without context, so it was unclear where and when they were taken and whom they portrayed.
Most of the photographs showed soldiers carrying or saluting flag-draped coffins. Some of the labeled pictures were of remains of the Columbia space shuttle astronauts, military accidents around the world and deceased veterans of previous wars, while signs in the background of a few pictures identified their location as Afghanistan.
The military obscured the faces and identifying badges of many of the soldiers pictured in the ceremonies. A Pentagon spokesman said the pictures were edited out of privacy concerns.
The photographs were released in response to a Freedom of Information request and lawsuit by Ralph Begleiter, a professor at the University of Delaware and a former correspondent for CNN, who argued the photographs were a public record.
Jim Turner, a Pentagon spokesman, said the photos released were taken for historical or training purposes. He said military photographers now are taking pictures at such ceremonies less frequently.
Last April, the Air Force released scores of photos taken at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware in response to another FOIA request. The pictures included shots of some of the coffins of the astronauts who died in 2003 on the space shuttle Columbia. The Pentagon later called that release a mistake.
Prayers to all who lost their loved one's and to those injured.
Good. One instance of Bush's passion for censorship overturned.
The military loves standardization. They should set up a permanent camera location and paint a red rectangle on the floor.
Put the coffin on the rectangle and snap the picture.
NEXT!
Every picture would be exactly the same. If some schub wants 3000 copies of the same picture, he would be welcome to them.
Since when does Ralph Begleiter have a right to see pictures of dead American heros? I say shove you head up your butt Mr. Begleiter. Leave the grieving families alone.
Go away bottom feeder!
PING!
>>Every picture would be exactly the same. If some schub wants 3000 copies of the same picture, he would be welcome to them.<<
That's a great idea. Eliminates the liberals' basis for complaint, and simultaneously neutralizes the issue.
This is sort of like the President waiting 7 minutes in the classroom bit. Liberals me remind of a 5 year old in kindergarden screaming and shouting over and over until they get their way.
"I WANT MY COOKIES"
"COOKIES I WANT COOKIES"
"GIVE ME COOKIES"
Teacher: Allright allright, here is your cookie, now go sit down and be quite for the next few minutes.
This will come back to bite the MSM in the rear as many Americans simply honor those who die in service to their country, and don't want their sacrifice exploited for political revenge. 9/11 changed everything, and the MSM/Left still don't get it.
With every picture that is released of a dead American soldier's coffin, I want news footage of the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground killing thousands of innocent people shown as well.
It's not censorship....it's called respect for the families of those who lost a loved one. Geez!
You bought that spin? It was Bush not wanting photos of coffins to hurt his support for the war. The photos I have seen were highly respectful and showed the respect the military has for its fallen.
Back when I was honor guard for funerals, I did the part of that soldier with the M16.
If I see a row of coffins, how does anyone but the military itself know its your relative in there? Up until Bush, the military always allowed publication of such photos. You do, of course, have the right to restrict media and photos at his particular funeral.
I'm sorry you lost someone, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude that can't be repaid. I wish I were still doing honor guard so I could have the honor of showing respect in that way for these soldiers.
Only putting that photo with the soilders from Afghanistan..
Ghoulish MF'ers.
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