Media And Dead Soldiers: Non-Issue, So Far

Most Families Have Allowed Reporters And Photographers To Witness Return Of Slain Soldiers

(AP)  In the weeks since the Pentagon ended an 18-year ban on media coverage of fallen soldiers returning to the U.S., most families given the option have allowed reporters and photographers to witness the solemn ceremonies that mark the arrival of flag-draped transfer cases.

Critics had warned that military families needed privacy and peace activists might exploit the images, but so far the coverage has not caused problems.

Air Force Tech Sgt. Phillip A. Myers, 30, of Hopewell, Va., who died April 4 in Afghanistan, was the first combat casualty whose return to American soil was witnessed by the news media. He was buried with full military honors Monday afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery, where Defense Secretary Robert Gates joined representatives from all branches of the military in paying their respects.

Air Force civil engineer Maj. Gen. Del Eulberg, who traveled to Dover Air Force Base earlier this month for the return of Myers' body, also attended the ceremony at Arlington, where he presented U.S. flags to Myers' widow, Aimee, his two children, and his parents.

With permission from Aimee Myers, the military opened the Dover base earlier this month so reporters and photographers could chronicle the return of her husband's body. The mortuary there is the entry point for service members killed overseas.

The ban on media coverage dated back to 1991, when President George H.W. Bush imposed it during the Persian Gulf War. It was cast as a way to protect the privacy of grieving families, but critics argued that officials were trying to hide the human and political cost of war.

"I think it was to protect the government's butt," said David Pautsch, who allowed the media to witness the return of his son Jason, an Army corporal from Davenport, Iowa, who was killed with four other soldiers in a bombing in Iraq.

He said the ban was more about minimizing the political impact of Americans dying overseas.

"I think it was a reaction against the second-guessing of our country's mission," he said.

Since the ban was lifted, 19 families have been asked whether they wanted media coverage of their loved one's return and 14 have said yes.

"That's a pretty good majority," Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, a Pentagon spokesman, said earlier this month, when 16 families had been asked and 13 had consented. He said, though, that it's still too early to tell whether military families favor the new policy.

Rose Alexander, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Office, said reporters have been cooperative and there haven't been any problems.

Media interest has fallen off sharply since almost 40 reporters, photographers and camera operators turned out to document the arrival of Myers' body. At a more recent casualty arrival, the only media representative was a lone photographer from The Associated Press.

Even if no one from the media shows up, the Department of Defense films each casualty arrival for which consent is given and presents a recording to the family.

Christie Woods initially declined media coverage of the return of her husband, Staff Sgt. Gary L. Woods Jr., of Lebanon Junction, Ky., who was killed along with Jason Pautsch. She changed her mind so family members who couldn't travel to Dover would have the video, according to casualty assistance officer Sgt. Joseph Chapman.

Families must make the difficult decision about whether to allow media coverage, and whether to travel to Dover, within hours of being told of a loved one's death.

The military's long-term goal is to have each service member make the decision before deploying to a combat zone rather than having the family choose after the fact.

While survivors are asked whether they consent to media coverage and want to travel to Dover, a policy memo issued by Defense Secretary Robert Gates states that media contact with family members will be allowed "only if specifically requested" by the family.

Mortuary affairs office officials say they will help facilitate a meeting if a family indicates that it would like to talk with the media. So far, the Pautsch family has been the only one to do so.

David Pautsch said he understands the military is trying to be sensitive but believes families should be asked whether they want to speak to the media rather than having to volunteer their desire.

"We shouldn't be afraid of letting people express their opinions," he said.

[hamiltongrad]

If Bush was still President each would be used as a pawn in the media wars against this country. Sad.

[zeitmin77]

The real issue is if the media has the decy to respect the privacy of the affected families.

[longtree-2009]

perhaps, it's because the deceased are all volunteers? they might have volunteered for enlistment bonus or re-enlisted for bonuses. there are no draftees. they all put themselves in harms way. in theory, or so we were told, we went to war to kill or capture bin laden and/or to remove saddam, who in theory, was a danger to the usa. bin laden is still alive and happy. saddam was never a threat, bush lied about how dangerous the man was to the usa. thinking iraq was a huge mistake. the "dead or alive" poster child, bin laden, is still around after 9/11/2001. none of it makes sense today, 2009.

[ibsteve2u]

"...where Defense Secretary Robert Gates joined representatives from all branches of the military in paying their respects"

No doubt the different perspective about accepting the presence of the Press lies in the difference between being the man who is tasked with cleaning up the mess and the man who helped coerce democracy into a war whose real rationale has yet to be admitted.

I would like to think that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, & PNAC, LLP (v1) have a difficult time sleeping at night...but intellectually I must accept the only logical answer to the question: "Would evil people suffer pangs of guilt over doing evil things?"

[jroach31]

This is as it should be.

These young men and women promised to serve, and gave their lives. We are obligated to acknowlege them as real, actual members of our communities with families, friends and innumerable ties to all of us. We are part of them and they are part of us.

To block this sort of coverage and reduce them to mere printed names in a DoD press release was, and will always be, shameful.

[koko98-2009]

When 75% of the families agree to allow coverage it only shows that lengths that the Bushies would go to hide the cost of the war from the American people. The only thing this policy was meant to protect was the Bush Administration.

[Solarrays247]

During WW2 LIFE magazine published a picture of several dead American soldiers lying dead on a beach in Europe -- Normandy perhaps. Many Americans were outraged at the publishing of such horrific pictures. LIFE defended itself by basically saying: If these boys can stand to die for us, we can stand to look at it! We should never even be ALLOWED to forget that these are real people dying for us. To make this a democrat/republican issue is just macabre.
Posted by mcdojh at 7:00 AM : Apr 28, 2009

Great post!

[rocketjl]

Patience, give the news media a chance. They are very good at making a non-issue into a problem for the American public. In case no one noticed, this article is another attempt by the media to raise this topic to an issue level and not let it go by just moving on. Best advice I can give to help the media is to quit pushing on doors that have a sign that says pull.

[talltimber41]

The reaction to the returning dead soldiers is as it should be. However, had this been under the Bush administration...the left would be making all sorts of noise. The politicization of these heroes is wrong.

[mcdojh]

During WW2 LIFE magazine published a picture of several dead American soldiers lying dead on a beach in Europe -- Normandy perhaps. Many Americans were outraged at the publishing of such horrific pictures. LIFE defended itself by basically saying: If these boys can stand to die for us, we can stand to look at it! We should never even be ALLOWED to forget that these are real people dying for us. To make this a democrat/republican issue is just macabre.