In a move that is sure to meet with adulation from certain political circles and outrage from others, the Obama Administration continues its string of Reversing Bush Administrations military policies. The latest being the Media Ban on photographing Flag Draped Coffins of those Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Soldiers on their final journey.
Pentagon to allow pictures of flag-draped coffins
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon will relax its ban on media coverage of returning U.S. war dead by allowing families to decide whether to allow photos and television footage of the flag-draped coffins of their loved ones, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.
Gates ordered the change after reviewing a 1991 ban that prevents news organizations from recording images of war dead arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where the Pentagon has its main mortuary.
"If the family of one of the fallen says that they do not want media coverage ... then that will be the decision. There will be no media decision. If they say that's OK with them, then it will be available," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.
…The ban has been imposed since the days of the first Gulf War with some exceptions including the return of Navy seamen killed during the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000.
But former President George W. Bush asserted a stricter ban during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, sparking criticism that the federal government was hiding the human cost of its military operations.
Gates, who was also Pentagon chief in the final years of the Bush administration, said he first asked about changing the policy over a year ago. But Pentagon officials advised him that the ban should be retained to protect family privacy.
President Barack Obama asked for a policy review early this month and Gates said that drew a call for change from the U.S. Army, which represents the largest portion of war dead.
"My conclusion was that we should not presume to make the decision for the families," Gates said.
This opens a number of logistics questions relating to said and implied permissions, and who exactly has legal authority to grant permission?
One has to ask, who is to benefit of lifting this ban?
I have mixed feelings about the media taking pictures of flag draped coffins. My oldest son was killed in Afghanistan and was buried in Arlington Cemetery. At times I felt like his death was being exploited, but I also thought he deserved as much attention as possible for giving his life to preserve our freedom.
Posted by: Mike | October 12, 2011 at 09:38