Ping
I don’t doubt they are overworked. Anyone who has spent much time in Arlington and watched the way they work cannot help but think they are pressed.
They do a great job, but can be viewed as a bottleneck, and it isn’t their fault. There are simply a lot of veterans, guys like my dad passing on, and I do believe it must be peaking.
I wonder if they will consider any short term measures to deal with this spike.
When I visited Arlington in June, 2007, there were four burials taking place simultaneously, or nearly so, close to the interment wall for my friend, a WW II veteran. I have no idea if others were planned for that day but it sure was busy in the two hours I was there.
A sad situation, to be sure. You have both the WWII/Korean generation dying off at the same time the current theatre had casualties. Is burial at ANC worth that long a wait? Personally, I’d rather be interred alongside family.
One of the comments expands a bit on what the article says:
“I believe that this story requires some measure of clarification:
In January 2009 the Secretary of the Army ordered that all Army Personnel, regardless of rank, should receive full military honors during their burial services at Arlington National Cemetery. However, no additional resourses were added to the Army unit which provides these services at Arlington.”
Out of curiosity, was this a late decision in the Bush administration, or an early decision in the Obama administration? Does anyone know?
My father in law, who passed about 2 1/2 years ago, was a WW-II USAAF veteran. The Army sent one soldier, they might have sent two, except that his oldest grandson, a newly promoted SFC in the Army Reserve, claimed the honor. He had been a volunteer honor guard in Hawaii when he was on active duty so knew the drill. The American Legion and the VFW, FIL was member of both, each sent one guy, one of them had the electronic bugle/trumpet for "Taps".
IMHO, those killed in the line of duty should be interred first. If there is any waiting, those retired and separated vets who have died natural deaths should be the ones waiting. And forget RHIP!
Even before the backlog - vets were receiving a counterfeit service - with many having a recording of taps being played on a digital bugle...
If we can’t even bury our vets with the honors they deserve, then something is very wrong. Hello - how about adding some personnel... Oh, wait - that would take an act of congress...or so one would think.
My grandparents, Dad, and an uncle are buried there ...
I am local and take my Mom all the time to the graves ...
We were there about a month ago and there were at least 6 funerals going simultaneously (3 with full honors - band, horses & catafalque, pall bearers, rifle squad, and trumpeter).
6 at a time is very doable - if you don’t go for full honors (pall bearers, rifle squad, and trumpeter only).
But, if you put the band and horses and catafalque in the mix - you are creating a logistical nightmare ...
Not enuf horses or bands ...