I opened the newspaper at work one day this week and buried in the back, read a small story “Four U.S. Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan”.  Four US Soldiers. Sons. Brothers. Husbands. Fathers. Loved ones of somebody.

The reporter obviously didn’t care who these young men were, or who their families are. To him, they were just statistics, to be followed by the body count for the current year, compared to the previous year.

These young men will make their final journey home, touching American soil at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.  Since 1991, the arrival at Dover has been off limits to the media, with only family allowed to be present. Sec. of Defense Gates has partially rescinded the ban, saying it will be up to the individual families to decide.

Now, I want to make it clear, I am not in the Military, and the only one in my family who served was my Father, (Navy -  WWII, Korea) and he did NOT die in the service. So, I can’t speak from the perspective of a family who has undergone the awful and sacred task of seeing your Soldier home.

However, I would like to ask Sec. Gates – Just what in the hell were you thinking? How would you like to try and deal with the burden of grief while the (caring and sensitive, NOT) press circles around you like a bunch of jackals, poking a microphone in your face and asking totally inane questions like “So, how does it feel to receive your husband home in a box?” How would you like it if the pictures of your son’s coffin show up on hate sites crowing about the death of another infidel?

Do you really think that if you allow the media access to Dover, that they will suddenly turn into kind caring sensitive souls who only have the best interest of the family in mind? That’s BULLSHIT and you know it.

Do you really think that pictures exploiting the death of a US Soldier, will let the “American people  see the full human cost of war.” BULLSHIT again. If the media wants us to see the full human cost of war, why don’t they join the Military and try PAYING some of the cost? Oh, wait a minute, they don’t want to actually have to PAY the cost, they just want to exploit it.

As Commander in Chief, Present Obama, should have declined to allow the private grief of Military families to become a public spectacle. If anyone thinks the media won’t turn this into a circus, they are delusional.

Just remember, if you don’t stand behind our Military, feel free to stand in front of them.

Edited to add:

Here is a list of people to contact – let them know what you think.  Copied from “From My Position, On The Way”

Pentagon Switchboard

703-545-6700

SCTY Defense Robert Gates:

Dr. Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen:

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon
Washington, DC 20318-9999

General James E. Cartwright:

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon
Washington, DC 20318-9999

General George W. Casey, Jr.:

Army Chief of Staff
200 Army Pentagon
Washington, DC 20310-0200

Admiral Gary Roughead:

Chief of Naval Operations
2000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, DC 20350-2000

General Norton A. Schwartz:

Air Force Chief of Staff
1670 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, DC 20330-1670

General James T. Conway:

Commandant of the Marine Corps
Headquarters USMC
2 Navy Annex (CMC)
Washington, DC 20380-1775

Senator John Kerry:

http://kerry.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

218 Russell Bldg.
Second Floor
Washington D.C. 20510
202-224-2742 – Phone
202-224-8525 – Fax

Boston
One Bowdoin Square
Tenth Floor
Boston, MA 02114
617-565-8519 – Phone
617-248-3870 – Fax

Springfield
Springfield Federal Building
1550 Main Street
Suite 304
Springfield, MA 01101
413-785-4610 – Phone
413-736-1049 – Fax

Fall River
222 Milliken Place
Suite 312
Fall River, Ma 02721
508-677-0522 – Phone
508-677-0275 – Fax

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg:

http://lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/index1.cfm

Newark Office
One Gateway Center
Twenty-Third Floor
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-639-8700
Toll Free: 1-888-398-1642
Fax: 973-639-8723

Camden Office
One Port Center
Suite 505, Fifth Floor
2 Riverside Drive
Camden, NJ 08101
Phone: 856-338-8922
Fax: 856-338-8936

Washington, DC
Hart Senate Office Building
Suite 324
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3224
TTY: 202-224-2087
Fax: 202-228-4054

The White House

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

TTY/TDD
Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

Find your Senator / Congressman

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd

“Oh, and for good measure, give Biden something to do.”

I couldn’t find a contact page for him. I imagine snail mail to the White House in his name would be the best route.