i don't WANT to see them

but i think we all HAVE to see them. the people coming back this way are NOT just numbers. they were brave members of our military. they had family and friends. they served OUR nation and they served ALL OF US. it makes the war(s) PERSONAL. it puts faces on our fallen heroes. we NEED to see this

Pentagon Rethinks Photo Ban on Coffins Bearing War Dead
By Ann Scott Tyson and Mark Berman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Every week, Air Force cargo jets land and taxi down the runway at Dover Air Force Base, Del., carrying the remains of fallen U.S. troops. After a chaplain says a simple prayer, an eight-man military honor guard removes the metal "transfer cases" from the planes and carries them to a mortuary van.

The flag-draped coffins are a testament to the toll of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as to the sacrifice borne by those who serve in the military and their families. But this ceremony, known as the "dignified transfer of remains" and performed nearly 5,000 times since the start of the wars, is hidden from the American public view by the Pentagon.

President Obama said last week that he is considering lifting the ban on photographs and videos at Dover, in place since the Persian Gulf War in 1991, raising fundamental questions about the impact of such images on the public morale in wartime. .............


picture: Coffins of fallen troops arrive at Dover Air Force Base, Del. The Air Force released this undated photo after a Freedom of Information Act request. (U.S. Air Force - Via Reuters)