Britain: Town's Impromptu Honors for War Dead

[Captain Hilts]

Make sure to click on the link for the photograph:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/world/europe/19wootton.html?ref=world

WOOTTON BASSETT, England — It started two years ago, the first time a military hearse carrying the body of a slain British soldier drove through town. An elderly man stood silent and alone by the side of the road, saluting as the coffin went by.

No one ever really discussed it. But the next time a soldier’s hearse drove by on its way from Lyneham Royal Air Force Base to a hospital morgue in Oxford, Miss Dunn, her co-workers and most of the shopkeepers along the street quietly went outside and showed their respect by lining up to watch it pass, too.

They have done it dozens of times since then, part of a growing crowd that now includes local residents, military veterans and others from across the country.

Britain withdrew from Iraq at the end of April, but it still has 8,300 troops in Afghanistan, waging a war few people understand and fewer still support.

...

Earlier casualties of war were flown to a different air base. Lyneham became the primary site for casualties in 2007, when the hearses began coming through Wootton Bassett.

“I think a lot of other parts of the country aren’t really aware of the war,” said Carol Lacey, who works at a stationery store on the main street.

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When a soldier is killed and a repatriation, as the return of the body is called, is scheduled, the local branch of the Royal British Legion notifies a list of people it has drawn up. A sign goes up in the town offices.

But that is the extent of it. “There is no ‘You must do this, or you have to stand there,’ ” Anne Bevis, treasurer of the legion’s local branch, said. “We have refrained from the word ‘organization’ because we want it to be impromptu. It’s appropriate for anyone to come along without feeling that they’re intruding.”

Wootton Bassett has become famous for its response to the hearses in a country that seems at times to wish the whole thing would just go away.

At one point, someone proposed renaming the main street “Highway of Heroes” to make it official. The townspeople balked, saying that they were just doing what any decent people would do and that they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves.

Miss Dunn, the real estate agent, said: “It’s a ridiculous idea, because it takes the emphasis off of the soldiers. They’re the ones who are remarkable, not us.”

[Howardx]

1. they should do this here

if its possible.