Press Can Shoot War Dead Pictures

New Pentagon Policy To Allow News Organizations To Photograph Caskets If Families Consent

(CBS/AP)  The Obama administration is reversing an 18-year ban on news coverage of the return of war dead, allowing photographs of flag-covered caskets when families of the fallen troops agree, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

"My conclusion was we should not presume to make the decision for the families," Gates said in announcing results of a quick review of a ban that had stood through Republican and Democratic administrations.

Although details are being worked out, the new policy will give families a choice of whether to admit the press to ceremonies at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the entry point to the United States for the caskets of overseas war dead.

President Barack Obama asked for a re-examination of the blanket ban and supports the decision to change it, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

"I have always believed that the decision as to how to honor our fallen heroes should be left up to the families," Vice President Joe Biden said. "The past practice didn't account for a family's wishes and I believed that was wrong."

Other democracies let their citizens see their young men and women come home from war in flag draped coffins, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin, but for nearly 20 years the U.S. has not.

Except for photos obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the American public has not been allowed to witness the return of their fallen.

But going forward, media coverage of returning caskets will be governed by the same rules as burials at Arlington National Cemetery - permitted if the family agrees. For Karen Meredith the change comes too late, Martin reports.

"When Ken came home, I never got that photograph of him returning to his home country, the country that he loved so much," Meredith says.

When her son, Lt. Ken Ballard returned to Dover the military would not allow even his mother to have a picture.

"I just wanted to see it," she says. "I just wanted to know that he was being taken care of."

But not every American who has lost a loved one to war wants those images made public, Martin reports. Nikki Das, who lost her husband Erik in Iraq, does not want to share that moment with the world.

"This particular image for me, personally, is not something that i need to see for eternity on the Internet," Das says.

Critics including some Democrats and liberal groups claim the government was trying to hide the human cost of war by preventing modern versions of an iconic image from long-ago wars: a line of flag-wrapped coffins coming home.

"We should honor, not hide, flag-draped coffins," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. "They are a symbol of the respect, honor and dignity that our fallen heroes deserve."

Lautenberg had written Obama this month asking him to consider lifting the ban put in place by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, at the time of the Gulf War.

From the start, the ban has been cast as a way to shield grieving families.

Advocates for veterans and military families are split on the issue; some say they want the world to honor fallen troops or see the price of defending the country.

"There has never been a greater disconnect between those who serve in harms warm and those back home," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "All too often, the sacrifices of our military are hidden from view."

But John Ellsworth, who lost a son in Iraq in 2004, said photographs of the coffins could be used as anti-war propaganda. "It's pretty obvious that the Pentagon did not discuss this with us," said Ellsworth, president of Military Families United.

He said lifting the ban was arbitrary and poorly thought-out. His organization asked, for example, what would happen if different members of the same family disagree on news coverage.

Gates said he is setting up a team to address such questions. It is not clear when the new policy will be fully in effect.

Gates is the only member of Republican President George W. Bush's Cabinet asked to stay in his job under the new Democratic administration. Gates said he was "never comfortable" with the media ban and had looked at lifting it more than a year ago, under the old administration.

Gates said that at the time, he deferred to advisers inside the Pentagon who argued that the prospect of media coverage could be an onus on vulnerable families.

"I was much happier with the answer I got this year," Gates said.

Gates said there remains a division of opinion inside the Pentagon about whether the ban is appropriate. But he dismissed as "ancient history" a question about whether the ban originated as a public relations strategy.

As of Wednesday, at least 4,251 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

As of Tuesday, at least 584 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department.

Under pressure from open-government advocates, the Pentagon in 2005 released hundreds of the military's own images of flag-draped coffins from the two ongoing wars, previous wars and from military accidents. The photographs were released in response to a Freedom of Information request and lawsuit.

[Jeanie456]

First of all, I want to express my condolences to those of you who have lost a loved one in war. My story is also personal, but in a different way. During the years 1947-1950, my dad, then-Brig.Gen. Howard L. Peckham, commanded the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) in Europe. He was responsible for the disposition of more than 145,000 American war dead of the European Theater, who had been laid to rest in temporary U.S. cemeteries scattered throughout Europe. In every case, the next of kin was given the choice of having their loved one returned home or reinterred in one of the 10 permanent American cemeteries in Europe, which that had been graded and constructed by AGRC. The Quartermaster Corps had a ranking system to determine whose wishes would receive first priority, and the system was strictly followed. If the deceased was married, the surviving spouse had first preference--and so on. The point I'm making is that the choice should always rest with the next of kin. Some would want to share their loss with the media, by way of pictures; others would prefer privacy. The decision should be up to them. (A biography of my dad published in 2008, "A Salute to Patriotism: The Life and Work of Major General Howard L. Peckham," devotes several chapters to his work with the AGRC.)

[slownewsday-2009]

It will never have the chance to become a soldier to fight fot its country, or anything
else for that matter.

Posted by k1mvprd


Oh well. We don't have a shortage of people, anyway. Quite the opposite.

Still doesn't explain how you equate the two - a soldier should be recognized and honored for their sacrifice.

[k1mvprd]

in response to slownewsday

"nuts--, the aborted baby did not give up its life to protect our freedoms"




Of course not,-- an aborted baby never even has a chance to draw his/her
first breath,--and is guilty of what?--being unwanted as far as I can tell.

It will never have the chance to become a soldier to fight fot its country, or anything
else for that matter.

[slownewsday-2009]

If this is the case,--why is it the "public`s right to know", does not apply to seeing
the dead remains of an aborted baby?
Or is it it is not in the mainstream`s media`s (liberals) interest to expose this "truth"?

Posted by k1mvprd


Are you nuts?

The aborted baby didn't give its life to defend our liberties and freedoms. These people need to be acknowledged, not ignored.

[k1mvprd]

It is real interesting to note that many "libs" and the mainstream media are all for
showing our dead soldiers returning from Iraq, and Afganistan, and was even noted
(by Katie Couric) as the "public`s right to know".

If this is the case,--why is it the "public`s right to know", does not apply to seeing
the dead remains of an aborted baby?
Or is it it is not in the mainstream`s media`s (liberals) interest to expose this "truth"?

[skyk-2009]

Who ever wrote this headline PRESS CAN SHOOT WAR DEAD PICTURES
Should be fired immediately...This person working for the CBS website has no morals and I consider the headline profanity...We Americans want an apology. I also want the name of the person so I can write them a snail mail letter on sensitivity. What school of Journalism did this person go to??? Hilter University??
Posted by cattiej at 6:26 PM : Feb 26, 2009

I have stood by the grave side of many American's who have fallen in Combat and know something of the Honor involved. Yes the press should be able to shoot pictures of those dead and the process used to honor them. I can assure you that there is no disrespect in the shooting of those pictures and anyone who allows their minds to believe that is not being honest with themselves or anyone else. I think I'm safe in saying that you do not speak for the majority of American's on this subject.

[skyk-2009]

Don't worry. Now that the One is in office, any and all military engagements will be for noble and righteous causes worthy of your support. Therefore, don't expect the Obama press to do anything to shake that support, like shamelessly exploiting military deaths by way of photos.
Posted by erichsh at 7:52 PM : Feb 26, 2009

Aside from being just outright ridiculous what does your statement have to do with the issue at hand? I can't for the life of me, understand how people claiming to be American can hate the leader picked by the American People to clean up what they viewed as one of the Worst Administrations in our history. Maybe you don't agree with the majority of the American People and that is your right, but this kind of disrespect for our fallen is not your or anyone else's right.

[skyk-2009]

Iraq and Syria were the last remnants of the German Axis of World War II, now Syria stands alone. That alone made the invasion of Iraq worthwhile. The Ba'athist party is now the only remaining fascist government on the planet. Time to finish what we started in 1941.
Posted by caligula1--2008 at 11:17 PM : Feb 26, 2009

As a Veteran I am not going to debate your logic here because it is truly irrelevant! When the Son's and Daughters of American's are sent into a conflict, the American People have a Moral and Legal Right to be told by their Commander in Chief why their supreme sacrifice is necessary. I made and have kept a tape of that Explanation by then Commander in Chief Bush. His Statement was clear and as specific as it gets. He could not allow the UN Inspectors to continue to look for the WMD's called for in the cease fire agreement. He had the "Smoking Gun", he said and could not wait. The speech is available to all Americans who want to listen to it.

[skyk-2009]

As a Veteran I never understood this rule especially in light of what the people to our North do when their dead arrive back home. American's should see the way our Veterans are honored and treated with respect. Sure it makes those who send them into battle without good cause unconformable and that to is a good thing. If the relatives of the fallen object then those wishes should be respected otherwise this is long overdue. Those are real American's who are dying and deserve to be seen as such by all.

[sean1z]

Jesus died in full view of Jerusalem. His body was displayed to the People who gathered. They learned about the Roman Empire's desperation and cruelty. The Empire's intrusion pillaged the region. Jesus sacrificed his life for freedom.

[rf35]

As an Airman, I support lifting the ban on honoring my brothers in arms who make the ultimate sacrifice. Take you politicalization of this issue and shove it! Those of you looking for any excuse to blast the commander in chief, find another topic. There is nothing disrespectful about allowing the public to view the price of their freedom. If anything, hiding the returning caskets was disrespectful. Of course various media outlets can spin a story around the picture in any number of ways, but in the end, that image is getting out there and that's important. Hiding the dead is a slap in the face of every man and woman who serves or has served this great country; may it regain it's rightful place of honor and leadership in the world!

[caligula1--2008]

Wonderful, now CBS's daily "Oh Golly, Look At The Body Count" stories can have full color pictures, never mind that the losses among the troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq are only about 3 times the normal accidental fatality rate from field training (essentially what they're doing only with live ammo and an opponent that, although he also has live ammo, both can not shoot, and whose weapons are incapable of penetrating body armor, requiring a head shot for a KIA).

CBS should get busy and do a story on how relatively inexpensive this war was compared to other major conflicts the US has been involved in on a cost versus results basis. I'm sure they'll skew their conclusions as much as they normally do, but a look at the raw facts will at least be refreshing.

Iraq and Syria were the last remnants of the German Axis of World War II, now Syria stands alone. That alone made the invasion of Iraq worthwhile. The Ba'athist party is now the only remaining fascist government on the planet. Time to finish what we started in 1941.

[eroosevelt08]

The dead soldiers returning to America are heroes. They should be honored, not hid when they come home.

[whitemale08]

I'm so glad that President Obama did this.

It's about time that we reversed Wall Street Republicans from hiding their dirty work in using American lives to hunt down some clown that 'threatened' Bush's daddy.

I'm so glad junkyard dogs like Sean Hannity and Druggie Limbaugh are discredited, maligned and soon shut down when the 'fairness doctrine' goes into effect.

We do have 'hope and change', thanks to President Obama against these neo-nuts!

[jimlayton]

The choice absolutely be decided by the familt of the deceased .

[erichsh]

Don't worry. Now that the One is in office, any and all military engagements will be for noble and righteous causes worthy of your support. Therefore, don't expect the Obama press to do anything to shake that support, like shamelessly exploiting military deaths by way of photos.

[ytehead]

I had never seen anything about the return the the soldiers to America until I saw a movie called "Taking Chance" with Kevin Bacon. Had no idea how much respect the slain soldiers recieved upon returning to America. Each soldier has an escort and is treated with the utmost respect (according to the movie).

[sndkzyaa]

test

[cattiej]

Who ever wrote this headline PRESS CAN SHOOT WAR DEAD PICTURES
Should be fired immediately...This person working for the CBS website has no morals and I consider the headline profanity...We Americans want an apology. I also want the name of the person so I can write them a snail mail letter on sensitivity. What school of Journalism did this person go to??? Hilter University??

[slownewsday-2009]

Now I am not against stopping the war but what I am against is politicizing our dead solders for some one elses political gain. It is shamefull and should not take place. It is like knocking over someones tombstone!
Posted by bunwiper

Actually, the BAN was originally for political gain - to avoid undermining shaky support.

We should be fully aware of each and every soldier that dies for us, and honor them, and acknowledge them. Their stories should be something we all know by heart. To hide such a thing is to dishonor their sacrifice for us.