Posted on 10/29/2009 11:27:45 AM PDT by kristinn
Barack Obama was nearly denied the photo-op he traveled to Dover Air Force Base for early this morning as all but one of the military and civilian families of the fallen refused permission for the media to report on the return of their loved ones.
The sole family to allow media coverage was the family of Sgt. Dale R. Griffin.
According to media reports, Griffin's casket was the last to be brought off the C-17 cargo plane that carried the bodies of 15 soldiers and 3 DEA agents killed this week in Afghanistan.
That is a stark contrast to the reported 60% approval by families for media coverage since Obama lifted the ban on media coverage in April. Byron York reported a month ago that media interest has plummeted since April such that at most dignified transfers there is only an AP stringer there to take still photographs.
Obama met with the families of the fallen at a base chapel before the dignified return took place.
AP raw video of the military's dignified transfer of Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, featuring Barack Obama.
Obama's photo-op last night was the culmination of a long campaign by Obama's left wing allies like Code Pink to give aid to our enemies by highlighting the deaths of America's servicemen and women in the war on terror.
While not casting judgment on the decision by the family of Sgt. Griffin, the near unanimous decion of the families to deny Obama his photo-op, compared to the average 60%, is telling.
Bush never came to DAFB though, to witness the actual transfer.
I was relieved to hear about Obama’s visit yesterday morning. We are right in the flight path from DC and as the crow flies, about 10 miles from DAFB. We rarely hear planes but in the middle of the night, it sounded like a whole squadron was going to land in our yard. Then we heard choppers. We all got up and were wth???? I remember the choppers ferrying the bodies from the Pentagon, over and over after 9/11. And right before Desert Storm was announced, there were planes every day. We knew something was going on.
In all fairness, the transfers at DAFB come in at night only. It’s never done during the day (I live about 10 miles from DAFB).
It’s a form letter with an autographed picture of Hisself.
Is this the same thing as all the rap "artist" doing songs "featuring" another rap "artist"?
So instead of "T.I.'s Dead And Gone (Feat. Justin Timberlake)" it would be "Dead Soldiers While The President Dithers (Feat. Obamarx)"?
Thanks for posting this. Our troops are not fooled by the new Usurper in Chief because they have known what a true CIC looks like thanks to the exemplary way that President Bush conducted himself in their presence.
Americans are waking up to the true nature of Obama and his merry band of communists. It will not be too much longer before the man has to either resign or be removed from office. He and the democrats are breaking laws everyday and over-reaching in regards to our constitution. I truly believe that Obama and his administration will have to leave office amid shame and scandal of historic proportions before his first term is up. The writing is on the wall. It is being written right now with each stroke of his arrogance and his utter disregard for the rule of law. Mark my word.
I hear that. Raising that hand is just a slap in the face to all who have served,are currently serving and/or have died in serving. He is evil,no denying that.
Vietnam Vets, How I wish I could go back and salute them as they returned!
All I can do now, when I see them homeless and looking hungry, is give them gift certificates from local restaurants.
This idea of carrying the prepaid cards was given to me by a LURKER FR activist! I would like to pass it on as a way to support any serviceman past or present!
I try to buy at least 2-$5 cards each time I go there myself. I thank the lurker again for the suggestion!
Thank you for posting that, Star. I needed to read that to calm down :-|
Welcome, sweets ... ;) keep praying for
our brave military, who know what their
job is ... unlike someone else.
Why? Bush met privately with Gold Star families many, many times without media coverage. Did you create your opinion from a Huffington Post headline?
Wow. I didn’t know that only one family allowed the photo op. Near unanimity. Of course, whose father did I hear congratulating Obama in the news? It was Dale Griffin’s—may he rest in peace. I guess his father got his 15 seconds of fame.
This latest newsflash from Gibbs that the President has spent almost 20 direct hours meeting about Afganistan will have a profound negative effect on our troops. That is the most disgusting thing I have heard from this administration so far.
Worse than a cold hard slap to the face. I would take that as, "He doesn't give a damn about us!"
I wonder when they changed that because thy used to come in when they came in, day and night. In another post you mentioned the choppers from the Pentagon from 9/11, believe me, so do I. I lived less than a mile from the tarmac at DAFB and the air space silence was scary and the first airspace sounds I heard were those choppers, and they weren't at night.
Yup, the Pentagon transfers were daytime, we would see them. Two years after we started in Iraq, the transfers started to be only at night. There were a few articles about it in the state newspapers, one mentioned the timing of flights from Germany and other bases, but I don’t know if that’s the only reason. I worked with a woman who was a civilian employee at the mortuary there, she was there when the bodies from Jonestown came, in the 70s and they did do transfers during the day. There’s still plenty of air traffic from Dover but they only bring in the caskets at night. To make it harder for the media? I don’t know.
OK, thanks for the info. I wasn’t in Dover, but was there when they did the Transfers following the Beirut Marine Barracks and those were also done during the daytime. I was a reporter at the time for WDOV and was out at the base many time.
If they have chosen to only do the transfers at night to thwart the media, more power to them. The conduct of the media during the Beirut Transfers was the impetus for the blackout to begin with, not politics. Of course the media will never admit that factoid.
I’ve been friends with and have worked with many funeral directors in Dover who have all had contracts for assisting at the base mortuary over the years. They had some interesting stories to tell, but to a one, they generally hated dealing with the media outside of the locals they knew.
I don’t read the HuffPo. I just wish he would have gone to Dover to honor the return to American soil.
But then, the Dover mortuary holds a lot of meaning to me since 9/11, and maybe it’s minor to others.
That is a stark contrast to the reported 60% approval by families for media coverage since Obama lifted the ban on media coverage in April. Byron York reported a month ago that media interest has plummeted since April such that at most dignified transfers there is only an AP stringer there to take still photographs... Obama's photo-op last night was the culmination of a long campaign by Obama's left wing allies like Code Pink to give aid to our enemies by highlighting the deaths of America's servicemen and women in the war on terror. While not casting judgment on the decision by the family of Sgt. Griffin, the near unanimous decion of the families to deny Obama his photo-op, compared to the average 60%, is telling.
RIDICULOUS
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