Stars and Stripes

For the first time in 18 years, the press has taken an officially sanctioned photo of a fallen U.S. soldier returning to American soil in a flag-draped casket. 

This is thanks to a change in policy instigated by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and backed up by President Obama. 

Photo from The New York Times. 

So what if this is just an excuse to post this video?

Another slow day at work, which means more YouTube time

Russia has announced it is modernizing and expanding its military, which led a coworker and me to a discussion about how much more open and direct—sometimes even darker—the Russian sensibility can be when dealing with military operations and even death in general.

Some YouTube searching of their military technology led us to this video, which looks to be propaganda in favor of one of their tanks. It's brilliant.

And just like that, I'm a Robert Gates fan ...

For me, proof that even in the most stressful times, life is still full of happy surprises.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has reversed the policy that forbid press coverage of flag-draped caskets carrying the remains of fallen U.S. soldiers coming into Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

The decision will now be left up to individual families whether to allow media access to each homecoming.

If draping a flag over the casket is not meant to be a visual symbol, then why do it? And if it is a visual symbol, why are we afraid for people to see it? And if the family of the fallen wants to share it with the world, why shouldn't they be able to as part of their efforts to fully honor their family member?

The policy was first put in place in 1991 by George H.W. Bush, and this time around has been in effect since 2001. (I believe President Clinton put a hold on the regulation when he was in office, but I'll have to double check on that.)

Anyway, as they say on one of my favorite blogs, Shakespeare's Sister, taking one little teaspoon out of the sea of injustice.

Photo from ABC News.

This American Life: Life After Death

Last weekend's This American Life covered the theme "Life After Death." It's all about how people recover from their involvement in the deaths of others.

From the program's website:
"One day at church camp, David Maxon challenged the devil to show himself. Just then, a huge thunderstorm started, and David felt sure the devil was behind it. So when the thunderstorm led to two campers getting killed, David couldn't help but blame himself. Twenty years later, host Ira Glass talks to David about being innocent but feeling guilty."

If you like radio, I don't know how you could avoid listening to that story. Here's the link.

Sacrifices made by service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan

I'll be on the road for this Memorial Weekend ... and I'm not sure how much computer access I will have. In the meantime, here's an appropriately themed episode of On Point. A brief description:

"For most Americans, the sacrifices made by service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan are — after all these years — still out of sight and far away.

For colleagues, for comrades in arms, those sacrifices are as close as a man's last breath. A woman's last word.

Memorial Day honors sacrifice across many generations. But this Memorial Day weekend, with two grinding conflicts underway and plenty of sacrifice out there, we'll hear from those who know it firsthand."

"Insensitive and entirely inappropriate for the dignified treatment of our fallen"

Those are the words of Pentagon Press Secretary, Geoff Morrell, describing Robert Gates' thoughts at revelations that some US soldiers were cremated at a commercial facility that cremated both human remains and pet remains. Morrell went on to say: "... the secretary believes that it is inappropriate, even if though permissible under the rules, to cremate our fallen, our heroes in a facility that also cremates pets," he said.

According to the Defense department, human remains and pet remains were handled in differen locations, just at the same facility. And the soldiers' remains were never misstreated.

Are we romanticizing the notion of human remains? Well, let me rephrase that a bit. Clearly we are romantacizing the notion of human remains ... but are we romantacizing it more than is appropriate? I'm a little shocked by the immediate and dramatic reaction to this story by the Defense department, although I guess that's the world of politics. Would you be okay with someone you love being cremated at a facility that also handles pet remains? I guess my vote is yes.

Casualty Officers

Before a military member goes to active duty, the family is instructed that, if their loved one is injured, they will receive a phone call. The only way the family will receive an in-person visit from military personnel is if their soldier has died. How's that for non-verbal communication?

From Wednesday's Fresh Air with Terry Gross: a talk with journalist Jim Sheeler and Marine Colonel Steve Beck. Beck's was a "casualty officer," charged with notifying family members of the passing of their loved ones. I did not even realize that there was such a specific job, although now thinking about it, I can understand why it would be necessary to have a specific officer dedicated to the task. ... and what a service to the country to do this for our fallen soldiers and their families.

The book is called Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives. Sheeler has won a Pulitzer Prize for his writings about Beck. You can read an excerpt of his book here, and you can hear the interview here. I haven't read the book, at least not yet, but I highly recommend the interview.