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| Fifth Column |
| Flag-folding recitation banned at veterans cemeteries nationwide |
| 2007-10-25 |
| Through thousands of military burials, Memorial Honor Detail volunteers at Riverside National Cemetery have folded the American flag 13 times and recited the significance of every fold to survivors of those being laid to rest. The first fold, a narrator tells relatives, represents life, the second a belief in eternal life. The 11th fold celebrates Jewish war veterans and "glorifies the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." A single complaint lodged against the words for the 11th fold recently prompted the National Cemetery Administration to ban the entire recital at all 125 national cemeteries. A spokesman in Washington said the complaint originated from someone who witnessed the ceremony at Riverside National but would provide no other details and declined to release the directive banning the flag-folding recital, saying it was "an internal working document not meant for public distribution." Veterans are furious... |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #16 I have my mother's flag. She was a Navy WAVE during WWII. I don't exactly remember the words I heard, but they were about duty, honor, courage, and dedication. Mom wasn't buried in a national cemetary, either - neither was my dad, also a veteran. My wife, or my children, shall decide what is said at my funeral, and I hope it includes such words as those spoken of my mother. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-10-25 21:59 |
| #15 At my friend Troy's funeral, when the honor guard presented the flag he said "God Bless America and God Bless the US Air Force" Not a dry eye. |
| Posted by: Helmuth, Speaking for Spusoling6019 2007-10-25 17:55 |
| #14 They need to tell the National Cemetary Administration to go f*ck themselves, pardon my profanity. The family of the fallen will decide what is done and said. And the honor guard can be issued live rounds to deal with anyone that complains. Then the complainers can have their PC funeral themselves. If you want a civil war, just keep PC harassment of people that have dedicated their lives to protecting this country and its core values. /steam blowoff |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-10-25 16:05 |
| #13 the complaint originated from someone who witnessed the ceremony at Riverside National but would provide no other details I bet they can't produce the name of the person who made the complaint because no such person exists or it was from some group with an agenda rather than an individual. I'd be willing to bet that ol' Mikey just made up the complaint so that he could advance his own agenda. I hope someone demands to know who made this complaint and exactly what the complaint said. |
| Posted by: Unutle McGurque8861 2007-10-25 14:32 |
| #12 the Tyranny of the There, fixed that for ya, Dave D. It being a sandpaper world and all that. Any sanctions against such a recitation should be brought with a demand for the firing of any Federal Procecutor who procecutes such a case. I think jury nullification is proper here , and impeachment of any judge who upholds such a conviction. This act of reciting this is an option, and should remain so. It is at the very soul of this nation, and any Federal Totalitarian Bureaucrat who would dare stop this should be ostracized and shunned in his community. Word, BigEd. This goes to the very core of respecting our fallen fighters. If we lose that respect—or worse, willingly abandon it—all hope is lost for America. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-10-25 13:55 |
| #11 Its a simple case of someones being offended outweighs someone else's practice of religion. FYI, in the Legion, I've done funeral detail, and as such we CAN do this since we are not part of the government. It all depends onthe family's request. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-10-25 13:24 |
| #10 If your ears offend you, cut them off. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-10-25 12:29 |
| #9 I want to add ... The final rites for anyone, especially a brave soldier who died in service to this country are so intimate and private that this ban is criminal and unconstitutional. Any sanctions against such a recitation should be brought with a demand for the firing of any Federal Procecutor who procecutes such a case. I think jury nullification is proper here , and impeachment of any judge who upholds such a conviction. This act of reciting this is an option, and should remain so. It is at the very soul of this nation, and any Federal Totalitarian Bureaucrat who would dare stop this should be ostracized and shunned in his community. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2007-10-25 11:59 |
| #8 "an internal working document not meant for public distribution." These bureaucrat bastards don't realize who pays their salary... Of course someone will release the document over the web,and the only working done on the document will be when the janitorial staff empties the waste basket containing such a document, and takes it to the dumpster inback of "Bureaucrat's Paradise" - some ignominius stone ediface known as your local Federal Building. "A single complaint lodged against the words for the 11th fold recently prompted the National Cemetery Administration to ban the entire recital at all 125 national cemeteries." Can we find the "single" complainer, and drop him off in an unstable part of the Sunni Triangle in Iraq? But, since the surge has been so successful, that may be a little tough to find and unstable part.... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2007-10-25 11:51 |
| #7 When my father (WWII AAF vet) passed away, they had the American Legion honor guard do the flag/gun salute. I received the flag (as oldest son and only veteran). I don't think they said anything when the flag was being folded. Dad was not buried in a national cemetery, though. On the other hand, now that I am aware of this, I definitely plan to tell my family that I WANT this added to my ceremony. Even if I get buried in a national cemetery. |
| Posted by: Rambler 2007-10-25 11:51 |
| #6 Actually, it looks like Federal Bureacracy Bullshit... Mike Nacincik, the spokesman for the National Cemetery Administration, said the new policy, which was outlined in a Sept. 27 memo, is aimed at creating uniform services throughout the military graveyard system. He said the 13-fold recital is not part of the U.S. Flag Code and is not government approved. After the complaint made its way through government channels, Steve Muro, director of field operations, wrote the new policy. Nacincik said that while the flag-folding narrative includes references to God that the government does not endorse, the main reason for the new rules is uniformity. "We are looking at consistency," Nacincik said. "We think that's important." As for comments that the edict is an attack on religious beliefs, Nacincik said, "People are going to have their own views on that." When my father (USMC) passed away and was cremated, we didn't have any ceremony per his request but did receive a flag. When my father in law (USMC) was buried we had the flag folded by a couple of Marines but didn't have this. We wouldn't have had a problem with it, but I've never heard of it. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-10-25 11:32 |
| #5 Another outstanding example of the Perpetually Aggrieved™ mindset... Or, the Tyranny of the Strategically Thin-Skinned. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2007-10-25 11:28 |
| #4 Another outstanding example of the Perpetually AggrievedTM mindset... |
| Posted by: Raj 2007-10-25 11:15 |
| #3 Just ask the next of kin if they want it left out of the ceremony, and conduct it according to their wishes. If somebody else is offended, in either direction, too bad. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-10-25 10:45 |
| #2 PC dhimmitude / anal retentive stupidity. |
| Posted by: RWV 2007-10-25 10:10 |
| #1 Lots of luck enforcing this "ban". |
| Posted by: Crusader 2007-10-25 10:08 |