My brother and I had an interesting argument shortly after 9/11 about the media's focus. My brother (who was still living in NY at the time) was very upset that the media seemed to be focussing on areas away from NY, interviewing people from all over the country and very few who were there. He was angry hearing people from 3000 miles away talking about the impact that the WTC had on them and wanted to know why there weren't more comments from people who lived and worked there. I explained that they were actually being respectful of those who were closer to the destruction by not prying, invading, or otherwise pouring salt into still open wounds.

I wish the media would treat our military actions with the same respect. Unfortunately, they haven't. Not in Afganistan, and certainly not in Iraq. They don't care about the people, any of the people. All they care about is the "scoop" and being able to expose our administration as frauds and our servicemembers as monsters. They piss me off!!! I guess they only care about respect when it'll get them somewhere.

Well put LH. Looking at it from the outside I can say I agree with you 100%.

I'm in total agreement.

These soldiers were public property in life...we ought to give them and their families some privacy in death.

You should put a little more passion into your work.

Excellant article. Thank you for making the whole thing human.

Just to play devils advocate:

It's called reallity.

People die in war, people die in the Iraq war. It does all of us a disservice not to show us the brutal effects of war. Not showing these photos also aides one side in "advancing thier cause". (IE the war is over?)

You may not want a picture of your husbands casket shown and I as should all, respect that. But...what about the wife, or parent who wants it to be seen? Who want people to share in their pain? Who want to advance thier cause? Thay don't have the oportunity to have that photo seen, and that is censorship.

We do still live in America don't we?

I disagree with you here. I think the ban on showing caskets is a disgusting way for our government (and yes, I know that Bush was not the one that started it ,but I still think it's wrong) to use our soldiers' deaths for political benefit by attempting to control the public's perception of the war and downplay incidents of loss.

It's not about selling papers. It's about helping the public understand the great sacrifice our brave soldiers have made and allowing the public to see, in a bit more human terms, the true cost of war.

This is a tough subject. The families should have the right to bury their loved ones in privacy. Goes without saying.
But the current administration acts as if it's a crime if the media takes a picture of a returning soldiers casket. The public needs to see this to reinforce the fact that they are not just statistics broadcast on TV.

They are people. People who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Thanks for all the responses.

To respond to those who are in favor of using images of soldiers' caskets (and or bloddy bodies)....If the family chooses to release the photos, that is their choice. The decision to "censor" the images was made out of respect to the families who choose to greive in private. There are no identifying marks on the caskets that would allow the media to seek approval from the family before airing the picture, therefore, no photos are to be released. Just think how you would feel after you found out that your husband, wife, child or parent died in a "newsworthy way"....would you really want the media hounding you for permisison to use your grief as an image on tv?

I agree that to some extent the public should be allowed to see the realities of war. Photos of soldiers in a battle, living in tents etc are understandable...but when a soldier is dead, do not use the images for propaganda. There is very little done to prevent that from happening except an flat ban on photos of caskets. Pictures from the soldiers life can be just as effective in "humanizing" the war....while respecting the families who choose not to participate.

lifehappens: I agree with on most of that, but not on all of it. The ban on the caskets coming in at Dover is, IMO, wrong. It does not intrude on the family or identify the soldier; it merely allows Americans to take note of the ultimate sacrifice given by another American soldier. I do not feel that the press should be hounding grieving families or take photos without permission.

Texas....good point. but the images of the soldier's caskets can be used to further a political cause. If JK or GWB had used an image in their campaign it would still affect the soldier's families......

You got an insightful for me.