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Harmony Church Survivor
Group: Community Supporter
Last Login: 7/27/2008 8:53 AM
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The Army does administer Arlington and all regulations regarding Arlington come out of DA. And I can't imagine any circumstances in which I would protest at Arlington or advocate doing so. Didn't know they did, but glad to be informed. And if you can't image any circumstances, then that is the line of difference between you and I. An officer killed in CONUS for some non-military related reason being afforded the pomp and circumstance NOT afforded to someone KIA in a Theater of OPs is JUST the circumstance I would need. I don't give I shit if he was a 5-Star General. If some dick in the dirt PFC is KIA, and I was the director of operations at Arlington, you can guess who 3rd Regiment is getting dressed up for. And I'll bet you pennies to pounds, when I catch up to MacArthur on the other side of the River Styx, he'll agree with me!!!!!
......."If you dream about shooting me, you better wake up and apologize" Reservoir Dog
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Regular Joe
 
Group: Registered User
Last Login: 8/3/2008 9:05 AM
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| My understanding is funeral honors have always been a function of rank, that's why a President or Supreme Court Justice will get higher honors then any service member. I am not saying it's right, not saying it's wrong, just the way it is.
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Seasoned Vet
Group: Past PNET Supporter
Last Login: 8/4/2008 8:16 PM
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Officers on Jump status used to get 110 bucks a month to an enlisted's 55 bucks too but that got changed as well. Danger is no respecter of rank so I have to agree changing a tradition is as easy as putting the justification out there and getting support, if they can lie about the black beret and get that awarded then telling it like it is to get the honors for valor full deal funeral should be a piece of cake.
Stand in the door!
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Harmony Church Survivor
Group: Community Supporter
Last Login: 7/27/2008 8:53 AM
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JMPMASTR (3/28/2008)
Officers on Jump status used to get 110 bucks a month to an enlisted's 55 bucks too but that got changed as well. Danger is no respecter of rank so I have to agree changing a tradition is as easy as putting the justification out there and getting support, if they can lie about the black beret and get that awarded then telling it like it is to get the honors for valor full deal funeral should be a piece of cake.AMEN!! And while I'm not moving on my position, ROS did straighten me out on the fact that maybe carrying signs outside the gates of Arlington wouldn't be the best of ideas, but the steps of Congress would be. Or maybe the Puzzle Palace. And I'm not bashing officers. And I agree that POTUS & Supreme's and other big-wigs in the Gov't should be laid out in style, but an AMERICAN gets in an accident in CONUS getting the whole gambet over some AMERICAN who is KIA'd in harms way just because he's an officer.......that is just not right. And yes, traditions are great, love them. But you have to agree that some of them are no longer acceptable. As an 'enlightened' society, and as those who once had the priviledge to wear the uniform, I think it is our responsibility to make our military the best we can make it, in every aspect. Because it's no longer about those of us OFF active duty, it's about those ON active duty, and those future sons and daughters (and I have a 16 year old son) who may one day have to pick up a weapon to protect our interests.
......."If you dream about shooting me, you better wake up and apologize" Reservoir Dog
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Stare Master
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carrying signs outside the gates of Arlington wouldn't be the best of ideas, but the steps of Congress would be. Or maybe the Puzzle Palace. P6, that I would agree with. My objection was not to protesting but it was over the proper venue to the protest.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS
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Hard Charger
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| Of course, there would be a simpler way to implement a more fair policy and that would be to do away with the "full honors" funerals entirely. Or, to have some kind of rule that establishes a bright-line cutoff: If the service member was a recipient of the Silver Star or above, they get the full honors whether they died in combat or 50 years later in an old folks home. Everybody else gets the standard funeral from buck private killed in a training accident to 4 star general. As has already been pointed out, much of the current regulations are leftover from the older days of a sharp "caste system" in the military where enlisted soldiers and officers were treated very differently. One by one many of those distinctions have disappeared over the years but it's not surprising that some of them still remain. It's funny sometimes talking to my dad and explaining to him some of the jobs I had in the military. He said when he was in many of those jobs - like Property Book Officer - would have to have been done by an officer but now an E7 or up can do them. Yes, the Army is an institution that is built on traditions but sometimes there is a reason for the old traditional ways of doing things to be changed.
Martin  "When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission" - Zapp Branigan, Futurama
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BS6's Dude
Group: Community Supporter
Last Login: 7/27/2008 6:18 PM
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| Problem is - What about those troopers who have been SUBMITTED for valor awards, but haven't received them by the time of the funeral? You can't give "full honors" to someone who is just SUBMITTED, but not yet AWARDED a valor award. I'm guessing that has something to do with this...
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Cherry
Group: Registered User
Last Login: 7/10/2008 11:10 PM
Posts: 22,
Visits: 139
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| I think the whole enlisted community finds this disturbing. Basically it goes back to if you enlisted your nothing concept. I know what everyone is thinking. So the question is what are we going to do about it. I cannot protest it but I do believe that a couple of smart guys could start a petition to get our voices herd, to maybe the Armed Services Committee, maybe get other organizations involved into doing some thing about it. On a side note, I know in 2005, A retiree would be lucky to get full honors outside of arlington for burial. Most would get a 2 man detail, for burial. Understand the Army is stretched thin, but wasn't that a right in the Regulations. The Times are changing if we like it or not.
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