Willow Tree

Rachel,

Thanks for the shout out!

This is another case of misinformation being turned into an anti-Bush meme by the radical left.

It was true that in this ONE case, the military detail that was to have met the remains did not make it on time, due to mechanical failure.

HOWEVER. The remains of our servicemen are NOT "shipped in cardboard boxes as general freight".

1)Every service member's remains are shipped in metal caskets, and there is a cardboard wrapper placed around the casket when it is transported via civilian airliner, to ensure that it suffers no damage. Civilian airliners are used when it provides the fastest way to return the remains to the family. It is a way to show respect, NOT "shipping like a commodity", to return the remains to the family in the most expedient manner possible.

2)A member of the service (many times, a member of the deceased's own unit)accompanies the remains ALL the way from the point of embarcation through to the final funeral ceremony.

3) Those "cargo handlers" that unload the remains are specially trained to ensure that the utmost respect is shown the remains, and that all military protocalls are followed.

I wish these "reporters" would actually report the facts, rather than trying to spin everything into an anti-government diatribe. That there was a breakdown in procedure in this one case is terrible for the family, but the true story was not as it was presented in the media.

Thank you delftsman for clearning that up. It was rather upsetting to see the images. I'm glad it was an error and not the norm.