Ask Congress to improve mortuary service for war dead-One family's mission

[Wickerman]

I guess the Bush gang go beyond not wanting us to see flag-draped coffins - they're even doing burial on the cheap with no embalming. :eyes:

I know, the best way to help soldiers would be to bring them home alive. However, barring that, here is a website that describes one family's horror as they sought to bury their son, their anger at the system, and what they are doing to aid other soldier's families.

http://www.soldiersplea.com/paulsstory.htm
...Upon his return home my family was told that my brother's body would not be viewable. We were told he was non-viewable due to injuries sustained from the accident. This was not true. We asked our funeral director to open Paul's casket and see if there was any way we could view him to say our last goodbyes.

He notified us that there was no way he could repair or cover the damage doneto Paul due to neglect and no refrigeration. Paul was non-viewable not because of injuries he sustained, but because our United States Army failed to care for his body. There have been recent instances in which the Army has failed to give our fallen heroes the honor they deserve in arriving at their final resting place, such as not having proper military escorts at airports, but this goes much deeper. In truth, upon his death my brother's body was left to rot like a dead animal on the side of the road.

---snip---

Has the Army failed to give any more of our now over 2,200 fallen soldiers a proper, much less heroic, homecoming? This must stop. The funeral home director who helped us has received bodies from Vietnam and WW II and said they were received in much better shape than my brother and their families were able to say their final goodbyes. He believes this is the first conflict in which our fallen soldiers have not been prepared (embalmed) while overseas.

---snip---

No other soldier should be done like this, and no other family should have to go through this. Please help, by placing your name on the online petition on this website, http://www.soldiersplea.com/signpetition.htm and by going to the link www.congress.org, finding your government representative's address, and letting them know that you will not stand for this disrespect to be done to one more American hero. Please help. Our fallen heroes deserve better!

[babylonsister]

1. I thought I couldn't be any more outraged than I am. I was wrong. nt

[Wickerman]

2. Outrage fatigue

they count on it. And a press with ADHD - that never follows up on all the travesty.

[FreedomAngel82]

23. It's always that way isn't it?

You think they've done something to outrage people but than they do something else to make you even more upset!

[Coexist]

3. This is supporting our troops?

I have no words.

[atreides1]

7. Support the Troops

IS only a PR spin game employed by King George and his enabling Congress and his loyal military commanders, they don't really mean it!!!!

[Coexist]

10. If a couple pennies from each of those yellow magnets went to

ACTUALLY supporting the troops, maybe they could afford to do this.

[Raster]

17. Do you know what those piece-of-shit yellow magnets say to me?

They say this is my bullshit way of pretending to be a patriot and dealing with any guilt I might feel in my little krispy kreme heart. The only fucking things those magnetic ribbon support is the manufacturer in China.

[Coexist]

19. Mine used to say "Support the Chinese Sticker Industry"

until someone stole it off my car (along with my Darwin fish).

I found it on a really cool website - wish I had the link.

[FreedomAngel82]

24. It's so they can hide behind them

So if you're critizing Bush you are attacking the military.

[atreides1]

4. I'll Do What I Can

But remember this administration and its Republican, and some Democrat, minions are trying to cut spending, and probably think that putting a dead body on ice isn't fiscally responsible.

Besides, I don't hear the US military saying very much about this, if the military doesn't have the courage to point out that this is happening, there isn't much we civilians can do.

But I will try.

[libnnc]

5. I...oh hell...

there aren't words. There just aren't words...

RATE THIS UP AND KICK HARD

[babylonsister]

6. Rec'd, kick, signed, despicable! nt

[Cooley Hurd]

8. K&R!!!! The dirty rat bastards!

Who in the Army is responsible for this, and WHY are they NOT being held accountable? Haven't the families suffered enough?
:grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

[Wickerman]

9. Thanks for the kicks and the signing, folks

I know someone close to the family and vouch for the authenticity. As someone upstream says, it all just leaves you speechless, doesn't it. kick and sign.

[fooj]

11. I can't stop the tears today...

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[unhappycamper]

12. This is so sad and unnecessary.

Outrage overload? I thought so, but this has put my outrage meter into another zone.

With your permission, I'll post Paul's story on both the National and local Veterans for Peace boards.

And sadly, kick and nominate.

RIP, Paul.

[Wickerman]

13. Please, spread the story and link as you wish

simply sad

[kliljedahl]

14. Support the Troops MY ASS!!!!

Kick & nominate, what a travesty



Keith’s Barbeque Central

[barbtries]

15. that breaks my heart

we chose not to look at our daughter at the urging of the hospital personnel, but there is no excuse for what happened to this family. and to think that the original explanation given to the family was a lie! that is so outrageous.

[Raster]

16. I'm sorry, properly caring for our military dead would cut into the profit

...er, I mean, budget.

Guess what Mr. and Mrs. America? the bushco* bastards don't give a shit about your loss. they don't care about your grief and they certainly don't care about your dead children, who dead, are no more use to them anyway. Get a clue. to bushco* and their nefarious friends, war is a business and your children, our children are just raw materials. There is no honor, no care, no concern.

[w8liftinglady]

18. k&r-those amoral bastards don't deserve to stand in a hero's shadow

[babylonsister]

20. Kick! Please sign this petition for those that gave so much! nt

[OneBlueSky]

21. I can't say I gladly signed the petition, because there's nothing . . .

to be glad about in this situation . . . as I've said before, what we DON'T know about BushCo's illegal, immoral and unethical activities undoubtedly far surpasses what we DO know . . . and every so often, something like this becomes known and the level of outrage just goes off the chart . . .

[FreedomAngel82]

22. How shameful

Why are they treating the soldiers so bad like this? Ugh. Shame shame shame!

[Oldtimeralso]

25. Mortuary Service

Didn't the US embalm Saddam's two sons and put them on public display in summer heat?
Americans deserve better treatment, and will only get it when Cheniburton can profit!

[Historic NY]

26. So much for going to war with the army you wish to have.......

unfortunately this isn't the first incident either. If they didn't want to send an entire mortuary unit, they should have some "reefers" refrigerated trucks available. It doesn't take much to have them at the various medical stations.

I don't know his entire story but there were some soldiers who did drown and it took them days before they were recovered.

This is totally unforgivable of this administration.

[w8liftinglady]

27. kick for the weekend crew-please sign

[lonestarnot]

28. I don't know how much of this reported "left to rot" stuff I believe.

I mean he may have rotted, but he was probably blowned to so many bits that there wasn't anything much left but a pile of some horrific blob of matter. Don't people get it? This is what war does, why do some not wonder why no one in Congress, with the exception of one or two has their own children over there fighting? Because you can't view a pile of dried blood, rotten flesh and goop at a funeral, it's not a pretty picture for memorial. It doesn't conjur up good memories of this live person that they once had in their lives. So yeah I'd say you can't be all you can be when you're dead.

[Wickerman]

30. Please read - he wasn't blown to bits. He drown.

I find it helpful to actually read what I deem worthy of opinion. And as I say, I can vouch for this family, they are family friends. They were lied to by the military (DoD said his injuries were war related - the mortician said it was CLEARLY decomp - no notable war injuries) and their motivation is to improve services for other kids and their families. thanks for playing.

[chat_noir]

29. K&R

:grr: :nuke:

[babylonsister]

31. Kick for those that haven't seen this. nt

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

32. how terribly sad.

I thought I was resigned to the sheer incompetancy & inhumanity of the bush regime. I was wrong.

My thoughts are with all the families.