Government lifts ban on flag-draped casket photos
Jeffrey Costello
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: Opinion
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The ban, placed by the administration of George Bush Sr., prohibited the media coverage of flag-draped caskets as they returned home to Dover Air Field Base. This has sparked heated conflict among government, veterans and family those killed in service.
Lifting the ban fulfills President Obama's promise to have "unprecedented transparency" in his administration. At the same time, it also informs the public of the human cost of war, a concept not everyone has comprehended yet. Coincidentally, Obama put his withdrawal plans for Iraq in motion around the same time, Publically announcing it in a speech with troops at Camp Lejeune February 27th; draw from that what you will.
This action is not without opposition, however. Military Families United released a statement shortly after the announcement, calling the lifting a "complete disregard for the will of America's military families and their need for privacy during this solemn moment."
M.J. Keterson, who lost a son in Iraq in Novemeber 2003 and fervently defended the war at a pro-war rally at Crawford, Texas, fears for the honor of the fallen. Believing media outlets opposed to the war would use this opportunity to misuse the dead as if they were "on parade" to push their agenda.
However, as part of the ban being lifted, it was noted that such media coverage could only occur once the families of the fallen consented to it. Those who don't wish to expose their late loved ones to the media will get that wish.
This policy intends to shed a light on human loss, something only so many in today's society can relate to. Ever since the United States began this campaign, the media has been bombarding the public with headlines pertaining to suicide bombers and number of dead. What's never seen though are the images of sacrifice and cost, the cost paid by these brave men and women.
Very rarely does the public see this sacrifice, all we ever see are numbers and a tally that grows by the day and it's not hard to forget that these numbers are people who sacrificed their lives for our country's ideals. Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org and former Army captain, truly believes in this. Stating it "helps show the American public what the sacrifice is about…it's what we consider fully honoring their sacrifice."
The public should certainly be made aware of this process, too long has government restricted the American people's access to this. The Government owes it to the American people to show them of the actual price of war, the lack of that has desensitized the nation to war. Although the media has fed the public numbers and statistics, it often takes a visual and real example to shock people into understanding such tolls; it was, and still is, the same with the Vietnam War Memorial.
But neither should the media push their own agendas among this coverage. People can draw from such coverage their own conclusions on the war without the help of the media. This is one instance where media outlets would do well to control their biases and pro-war/anti-war agendas, unless they wish to be exposed for profiting off such a somber event.
The 20th of this month will mark the 6th anniversary of the start of the War in Iraq.