Duty, Death and Freight in George W. Bush's America

As a person who doesn't shrink from the morbid, I find the cultural aspects of death endlessly fascinating. "Blood and Poppies" (at Joe Bageant's new blog) reminds me of two of my favorite books:

Joe's essay reminded me of two of my favorite books, Faulkner's As I Lay Dying and Stuart O'Nan's A Prayer For The Dying. Sadly, it also reminded me of the following story, which I ran across earlier in the day:

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.

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

We know why it's happening: Because the Bush Administration and its allies in Congress don't give a rat's ass about the men and women caught up in the neocon meat grinder. Dead soldiers are ignored because dead soldiers are impolitic. They're freight when they leave their families and are ordered to fight and die. And they're freight when they're quietly returned in coffins safely out of the public eye.

Shame on you, George W. Bush. And shame on the United States Congress for allowing this to happen.
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On Edit: I originally lost the referring source but have since learned it was John Avarosis of Americablog.