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Soldiers shipped home as freight
News-10 San Diego ^ | 12-9-2005 | unkown

Posted on 12/10/2005 9:11:41 AM PST by countreegurl

SAN DIEGO -- There's controversy over how the military is transporting the bodies of service members killed overseas, 10News reported.

A local family said fallen soldiers and Marines deserve better and that one would think our war heroes are being transported with dignity, care and respect. It said one would think upon arrival in their hometowns they are greeted with honor. But unfortunately, the family said that is just not the case.

Dead heroes are supposed to come home with their coffins draped with the American flag -- greeted by a color guard.

But in reality, many are arriving as freight on commercial airliners -- stuffed in the belly of a plane with suitcases and other cargo.

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/1210/5505031_240X180.jpg


TOPICS: News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: doverafb; fallen; gwot; iraq; kia; marine; marines; oef; oif; soldiers
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To: SAMS

Agree. I suspect some spin going on.


41 posted on 12/10/2005 9:59:08 AM PST by Valin (Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege)
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To: Hurtgen

update - I'm on the phone with my sis - a veteran flight attendant. She thinks this frieght thing is not accurate. She promised to look into it and get back to me.


42 posted on 12/10/2005 10:00:56 AM PST by countreegurl
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To: countreegurl
John and Stacey Holley, who were both in the Army, made some calls, and with the help of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, Matthew was greeted with honor and respect.

Dollars to donuts this traitor Boxer uses this as a political ploy to bash the administration as being uncaring.

I would not put it pass her. Liberals do not have any shame. Hopefully she can keep her pie hole shut for the sake of the family

43 posted on 12/10/2005 10:02:20 AM PST by Popman (In politics, ideas are more important than individuals.)
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To: A.A. Cunningham
If the coffin is draped with an American flag and accorded military honors upon removal from the plane I see no problem.
44 posted on 12/10/2005 10:02:27 AM PST by luvbach1 (Near the belly of the beast in San Diego)
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To: SAMS
This "story" doesn't sit right with me.

Me neither.

45 posted on 12/10/2005 10:04:09 AM PST by Hot Tabasco (It must suck being an Islamofascist....... they don't get Christmas presents.....)
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To: countreegurl
Come on now - how about just a flag over the box. Is that too much to ask for someone who gave his or her life for their country?

It's not on display, it's not being received, it's simply being transferred to its next destination. Do you expect an honor band at every stop if there's a forklift nearby to see it?

This is not a display of disrespect. It's shipping. It's also yet another MSM story written simply to try to discredit our military. (They can't do anything right, they don't honor their dead, etc. Divide the Right and conquer, as always.)

When it is appropriate, when they are being receieved or seen on a public tarmac, I feel sure that they will receive the honors they are due.

What doesn't sit well with me is the notion that the media is trying to allege that they are more concerned with honoring the fallen than their brethren in arms who are responsible for such procedures. I guaran-dang-tee you that those in uniform do not shirk that particular responsibility.

46 posted on 12/10/2005 10:06:26 AM PST by Teacher317
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To: countreegurl

bump


47 posted on 12/10/2005 10:07:06 AM PST by VOA
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To: All
I can say how a body is handled if killed aboard a ship. The Medical Officer or corpsman does what preservation can be done at that time & places the remains in a body bag. The body bag with remains is taken to one of the ships walk in food coolers for storage.

A 24/7 watch is then placed on that cooler and a Snipe {Refrigeration Mechanic} will remain outside the cooler until conditions allow for the body to be flown off the ship. The body to be flown off the ship IIRC will be in a container simuliar to a missle crate. From that point on I don't know.

48 posted on 12/10/2005 10:09:24 AM PST by cva66snipe
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To: Teacher317

I couldn't have written it better.
Thank you.


49 posted on 12/10/2005 10:13:33 AM PST by Hurtgen
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To: Teacher317

It's not on display, it's not being received, it's simply being transferred to its next destination. Do you expect an honor band at every stop if there's a forklift nearby to see it?



Not every stop along the way, just the final stop where the family recieves the remains. Just a flag over the box. Doesn't seem too difficult.

Anyways - my sister works for the airlines and thinks this is total BS (the lack of anything).


50 posted on 12/10/2005 10:18:29 AM PST by countreegurl
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To: Dog Gone

***I guess we could strap them into the seats in first class.***

Yeah, really!

Bodies are ALWAYS shipped cargo. Where else would they put them? Sitting upright next to the pilot? This is a lot of hooey!

I recently read about a flight landing with a soldier's body aboard and the passengers were told to wait while the body of a fallen hero was unloaded.

Also, the MSM would LOVE to get pix of the flag-draped bodies, which is why we normally downplay it.


51 posted on 12/10/2005 10:21:41 AM PST by kitkat (Democrat/Socialist/Communist.= Hillary the RED)
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To: countreegurl
Agree - story has a number of holes in it..

Who is to say that the casket, contained within the cardboard shipping container, does not have a flag properly draped and affixed to the casket. The container protects both the casket and the flag. Once the container reaches the nearest or last destination between transfers, the straps would be broken and the shipping container removed by the proper authorities.

Reminds me of an incident back in the 70's. I worked for a railroad in Kansas City and we had a swarm of news slugs calling and coming into the rail yards trying to interview people about the government shipping "bombed bodies" home from Viet Nam in boxcars !!! We were finally able to get to the bottom of the story when a reporter confessed they were working off of a "tip" from a "railroad employee" and a copy of a shipping document that had the phrase "bomb, body" as part of the description of contents.

Yes, the rail cars were boxcars.
Yes, that is what the shipping manifest said was in the boxcars.
No, they were not human remains. The contents were 500 lb cast casings of dumb bombs being shipped from processing to weapons depot on west coast for loading and shipping TO Viet Nam where they would be charged and dropped on the "ho" trail.

IDIOTS....
52 posted on 12/10/2005 10:24:15 AM PST by UPcrawfish
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To: A.A. Cunningham

Thanks for posting; Reading Final Salute brought tears to my eyes a number of times.

Semper Fi


53 posted on 12/10/2005 10:36:12 AM PST by kas2591 (Life's harder when you're stupid.)
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To: SAMS
I think this story needs some serious fact checking, and an official response from the DOD. This "story" doesn't sit right with me.

I agree. That box may or may not be a coffin, and if so it may not contain a body. If it is a coffin and if it does contain a body it may not be a soldier or even an American. Sounds like left wing rumor mongering to me.

54 posted on 12/10/2005 11:07:15 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: countreegurl

Just how else can they ship a coffin? If not in the baggage hold?

I not certain this is any sort of outrage.


55 posted on 12/10/2005 11:32:41 AM PST by x1stcav (Murtha is a surrender monkey)
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To: A.A. Cunningham

Wow, A.A., this is a moving picture. It stirs up within me a great deal of respect for this fallen soldier. I honor and salute him, and for his family, my heart goes out to them. I remember the day Ronald Reagen met with some family members of fallen soldiers and how he was crying. That my friend, is the upmost respect we can give to these who gave their all for their county.

56 posted on 12/10/2005 1:28:28 PM PST by rawhide
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To: rawhide

He is a fallen Marine, not a soldier.


57 posted on 12/10/2005 4:29:32 PM PST by A.A. Cunningham
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To: A.A. Cunningham

I like the way the Marines are going about their business. With total respect as the occasion deserves. The Marines are very good at what they do.


58 posted on 12/10/2005 5:40:53 PM PST by rawhide
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To: Recovering Ex-hippie

This (reply #28) should help explain the proper method of transporting remains of those killed in action.


59 posted on 12/10/2005 8:51:45 PM PST by Chieftain (Cindy Sheehan is a shameful example of an American mother duped by Kerry's LIES!)
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To: Willie Green

I believe it always has been outsourced, Willie Green. I think it is the fastest, most cost effective way to get the remains to the the site where they will be interred. But I could be wrong.

That said, I would hope it would be handled with more tact and honor than just having the remains offloaded from an airliner into a waiting hearse by baggage handlers, unless that is understood by the family up front.


60 posted on 12/10/2005 8:52:08 PM PST by rlmorel ("Innocence seldom utters outraged shrieks. Guilt does." Whittaker Chambers)
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