Sunday, 12 September 2004 CDT
Over 1000 fallen soldiers, why do we hide them?
The grim milestone of 1000 American dead from the Iraq War has been reached. Even though we lose military personnel daily, we as a country seem not to hear much about it. Nor do we give the dead the honor and recognition they deserve. When living soldiers come home the news is filled with images of their arrival and the celebration by their families and communities on their return. Nobody wants those who are returning to be dead, but they should get the same honor and acknowledgement. The war dead, after all, gave their lives for this country. Motivations for the war aside, the individuals who died did so as noble acts, and we as a country owe them much more than they are getting.
The existence of a Pentagon policy prohibiting photographs of the war dead stands to dishonor the dead. We might as well take down the markers from the military cemeteries. Hiding the costs of war encourages the politicians to recklessly engage our country in war. The photos that we have been able to see are available only via a FOIA request by Russ Kick at The Memory Hole. He's done a great service for this country. Too bad the corporate media won't.
