Funerals.

This is coolbert:

A lot of criticism has been leveled against President Bush and his not going to funerals or meeting the bodies of dead soldiers returning from Iraq.

Paying some sort of respect for the dead.

Now, this criticism is both valid and not valid.

The President should pay tribute to those soldiers and their families that have sacrificed so much.

But personally going to funerals is not the way.

The same thing with visiting hospitals where wounded are being treated. There is just that serve no one and too much possibility for recriminations and emotional responses just create a scene that is just totally unwarranted.

I must also say that this criticism seems to be part of an orchestrated campaign related to the election. This is my observation from reading the op-ed pages of the local paper and the letters to the editor section. This is a bad tactic even in election time. Should not be done.

The famous, or infamous slapping incident of General Patton during World War Two is a perfect example of how not to do things at funerals or visits to hospitals.



Upon seeing the many wounded troops in a field hospital, Patton came upon a man suffering shock and combat fatigue. Becoming enraged, Patton then slapped the man several times. For this, the General lost his command. Patton acted in an emotional way to the situation and the result served no good for anyone. This soldier that was slapped later said, "I did not want to be in the army, overseas, or in combat. I did not like things, the way it was going for me." Well, that says a lot, doesn't it??

Funerals for soldiers killed in combat having military personnel present from the service of the deceased are also potential sources of conflict too. It is customary to have military personnel from the same service as the deceased escort the body home for burial. Some very ugly incidents happen from time to time at the funerals.

Several incidents were described in a recent isssue of "Vietnam" magazine by a Marine who escorted the bodies of dead Marines home for burial during the Vietnam War.

On one occasion, this Marine, escorting the body of a fellow dead marine for burial in East Los Angeles, was confronted by the four brothers of the dead Marine. These brothers had been drinking and were upset by the fact that the escort was wearing more ribbons that the deceased. Language difficulties only compounded the problem and a fist fight broke out between the brothers of the deceased and the escort!

This Marine escort also relates how relatives quite often don't really believe that it is really the body of the deceased in the casket, and insist upon opening the sealed casket, only to see a whole lot of plastic bags with various body parts in them, the result of the horrific effects of modern weapons on the human body. This can really result in an emotional and unwarranted response.

These funerals are not places were strong emotional responses are called for. Exacerbating the situation by having the President attend would only make things worse.

coolbert.