Fallen soldiers shipped home as freight.

[Sindawe]

Family Upset Over Marine's Body Arriving As Freight
Marine Bodies Sent To Families On Commercial Airliners

SAN DIEGO -- There's controversy over how the military is transporting the bodies of service members killed overseas, 10News reported.

A local family said fallen soldiers and Marines deserve better and that one would think our war heroes are being transported with dignity, care and respect. It said one would think upon arrival in their hometowns they are greeted with honor. But unfortunately, the family said that is just not the case.

Dead heroes are supposed to come home with their coffins draped with the American flag -- greeted by a color guard.

But in reality, many are arriving as freight on commercial airliners -- stuffed in the belly of a plane with suitcases and other cargo.

John Holley and his wife, Stacey, were stunned when they found out the body of their only child, Matthew, who died in Iraq last month, would be arriving at Lindbergh Field as freight.

"When someone dies in combat, they need to give them due respect they deserve for (the) sacrifice they made," said John Holley.

John and Stacey Holley, who were both in the Army, made some calls, and with the help of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, Matthew was greeted with honor and respect.

"Our familiarity with military protocol and things of that sort allowed us to kind of put our foot down -- we're not sure other parents have that same knowledge," said Stacey Holley.

The Holleys now want to make sure every fallen hero gets the proper welcome.

The bodies of dead service members arrive at Dover Air Force Base.

From that point, they are sent to their families on commercial airliners.

Reporters from 10News called the Defense Department for an explanation. A representative said she did not know why this is happening.

Source: http://www.10news.com/news/5504608/detail.html

If true, this is disrespect beyond belief.

 

[Manedwolf]

If true, this is disrespect beyond belief.

This has been happening for a while. A friend of mine LAST YEAR saw a few Army personnel in regular BDUs quietly shuttling an undraped coffin out of the luggage coming out of an American Airlines flight and into a truck.

Like cargo.

 

[Standing Wolf]

If true, this is disrespect beyond belief.

Land wars in Asia tend to include occasional unwelcome surprises.

 

[Norm357]

This has been happening for a while. A friend of mine LAST YEAR saw a few Army personnel in regular BDUs quietly shuttling an undraped coffin out of the luggage coming out of an American Airlines flight and into a truck.

Like cargo.

Unless they had xray vision, I call BS. Bodies are shipped in a white unmarked box. (Thought it is obvious what they are.) Bodies have always been shipped as freight. Never through baggage. They are too big to be shipped as baggage. The bodies are accompied by a Soldier though. How should they be shipped? Should the Military buy a seat for the body?

Norm, who is in the freight bidness.

 

[MikeIsaj]

If true, this is disrespect beyond belief.

The article is technically true, but not the whole truth. There is a lie of omission.

When a Marine dies on active duty the remains are escorted back home for burial by another Marine of the same rank. I have had the honor of performing this service several times. In the case of a junior enlisted man he is escorted by an NCO and a Marine of his rank. The body is prepared and placed in a casket by either a military morgue (Dover) or a funeral home and then transported under escort to the airport in a hearse. The coffin draped by a flag, is placed in a padded shipping container that may be aluminum or a soft vinyl. You would be surprised how many bodys are flying in the cargo hold. On two occasions I saw more than one. The coffin is loaded head first into the cargo compartment under the supervision of the escort. The escort then flies with the body to the destination. Any transfers enroute are supervised and witnessed by the escort to ensure proper respect is observed. At the final destination the coffin is unloaded into a waiting hearse from the local funeral home and checked by the mortician before it is made available to the family. The family is not generally invited to the airport and there is no ceremony there.

The escort is reponsible for ensuring that the burial is done according to the families desires. Each time I did this, I had some quick connections to Navy Relief and the Red Cross to provide assistance to the family if it was needed. My experience with the families was that they were grateful for my presence.

This is my experience with the Marines. I cannot seak for the other services.

 

[geekWithA.45]

In both theory and practice, anything being transported is either passenger, baggage, or freight.

 

[wingnutx]

If I should buy it on duty, I give my advanced permission to ship me in the belly of a plane. I don't think I'll mind at that point, and I don't see it as disrespectful. I sort of doubt I'll rate my own personal flight.

If they want to put me in the back of an MTVR or something, that's fine too.

More military bashing disguised as sympathy for the troops, imho.

 

[ghost squire]

Land wars in Asia tend to include occasional unwelcome surprises.

That is an absolutely classic line. That seriously has to be from something...

 

[rick_reno]

I, and a lot of my fellow soldiers flew as cargo during the Vietnam conflict - and we walked on and off the plane.

 

[epijunkie67]

That is an absolutely classic line. That seriously has to be from something...

You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is "Never get involved in a land war in Asia." But only slightly less well known is this: "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line."

A line from the movie Princess Bride.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

Do the anti-war folk have no depths to which they refuse to stoop?

and with the help of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer

 

[Olys45]

The article is technically true, but not the whole truth. There is a lie of omission.

When a Marine dies on active duty the remains are escorted back home for burial by another Marine of the same rank.
This is my experience with the Marines. I cannot seak for the other services.

I have not performed the escort duty myself, but in the USAF it is pretty much the same.

As I was reading the article, I was wondering "How the heck would you ship someone's remains back to their hometown?" Can you imagine the cost and logistics of having somebody drive a hearse from Dover to California?

Idiots

 

[Kharn]

We hardly have enough C-130s to fly gear around the combat zones, much less transport remains around the continental US, when commercial flights are already going to the same destinations.

And, if we did transport bodies by C-130, the news media would be all over it, "Death flights: George Bush's secret night flights of war dead" would be the headline. Or they'd report on the wastefulness of transporting one body per flight, when commercial airlines are making the same flights.

Kharn

 

[Dannyboy]

I have had the honor of performing this service several times.

Me too. In my case, I wouldn't call it an honor, though. But that's neither here nor there.

 

[Firethorn]

There's a ceremony when the body is loaded onto a plane in the AOR, usually attended by those of their unit who can attend. I've attended several. It's almost like a burial, except that at the end the bodies are loaded onto the plane, afterwards the chaplain(s) say a prayer. Then ceremonies are again observed when it reaches it's final destination before burial.

How many ceremonies do you want?

 

[bogie]

and with the help of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer

Yeah, and I'll bet that someone from Boxer's office told the family that their son was being shipped by UPS or something, so that they could then make a big bush-bashin' deal of "fixing" it.

 

[joab]

Do the anti-war folk have no depths to which they refuse to stoop?

That's like rhetorical, right?

 

[yorec]

Thanks to the guys who've actually done the escort for straightening this out and showing the political maniplutions of Boxer's officer for what they are.

Senator Boxer

 

[fredcwdoc]

My oldest daughter works for an airlines. All bodies are shipped as freight civilian or military.

 

[LBTRS]

The same people that complain about the cost of running our military now want military flights around the United States delivering bodies with full color guard? When this happens then they will complain about the cost of doing this. You can't make some people happy.

I'm on my 20th year of Active Duty and if I go while on active duty I hope they don't waste money flying my body around first class. Strap me to a wing and hit the release button when they are close to my home town.

LBTRS

 

[waterhouse]

I was on a flight into Austin 2 months ago (Continental). Upon arrival, they announced on the speakers, "Ladies and Gents, when we arrive at the terminal please remain seated. We have a member of the military honor guard on board who is escorting the remains of a fallen soldier. He needs to be the first one off the plane, so please wait for him to get off before you stand up."

When the guy (who was probably one of the biggest human beings I have ever seen) got up everyone on the plane clapped. There was certainly no disrespect.

 

[Hawkman]

I am OUTRAGED by this despicable lack of respect to our fallen soldiers! I demand that they be transported in first-class, dressed in Class A uniform, accompanied by an aide to Barbara Boxer!

 

[Camp David]

If true, this is disrespect beyond belief.

No... not really... you want them to transport corpses in First Class? Prop them up in coach? How about stand up the dead Marine in the bathroom so you could salute them on the way to the air crapper?

Since this story is from a San Diego media source I gather it is an attempt to smear the military on what is a typical process...

The dead are given high honors on arrival at Dover AFB, where they are routed to local destinations at the request of the family and/or relatives, as typical... they could always go directly to Arlington Cemetery as they all qualify!

This story smells like a liberal leftist reporter in search of a headline!

 

[The Drew]

This is a non-story... As others have said, how else would you expect bodies to be shipped?

Typical liberal media making a mountain out of a molehill....

 

[pete f]

I remember seeing a picture of GWB standing at attention late at night when a flight had returned that carried some remains, the caskets were being organised for a ride home, and i remember thinking if it was a photo op or a normal event for him to go out there to honor the fallen. I would hope it was not, but even some presidents have stooped that low before,