Arlington Whistleblower Fired For Trying To Grant Media Access To Military Funerals
Arlington Whistleblower Fired For Trying To Grant Media Access To Military Funerals
On April 24, the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank reported on the Pentagon’s effort to keep media out of earshot and photo range of the funeral of Lt. Col. Billy Hall, the 4,011th American to die in Iraq. Milbank wrote that Gina Gray, Arlington’s new director of public affairs, “pushed vigorously to allow the journalists more access to the service yesterday — but she was apparently shot down by other cemetery officials.”
Today, Milbank reports that Gray was demoted and then fired by the Army for trying to investigate the restrictions on the media:
When Gina Gray took over as the public affairs director at Arlington National Cemetery about three months ago, she discovered that cemetery officials were attempting to impose new limits on media coverage of funerals of the Iraq war dead — even after the fallen warriors’ families granted permission for the coverage. She said that the new restrictions were wrong and that Army regulations didn’t call for such limitations.
Six weeks after The Washington Post reported her efforts to restore media coverage of funerals, Gray was demoted. Twelve days ago, the Army fired her.
Gray told Milbank that Arlington’s deputy superintendent “has been calling the families of the dead to encourage them not to allow media coverage at the funerals — a charge confirmed by a high-ranking official at Arlington, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.”
The Pentagon seems determined to keep the media away from the realities of war. Just 10 days ago, the military kicked out an embedded blogger for photographing the body of a Marine killed by a suicide bomber, in late June. Last month, CBS’s Lara Logan said she believed “the soldiers feel forgotten” because Americans don’t understand the harshness of the Iraq war. “Tell me the last time you saw the body of a dead American soldier. What does that look like? Who in American knows what that looks like?” she asked.
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
26 Responses to “Arlington Whistleblower Fired For Trying To Grant Media Access To Military Funerals”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Bush/Cheney, & Pentagon policy = out of sight is out of mind.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:25 amRepublican's who voted for the Idiot boy Dumbya must be so very proud.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:26 amBurn those damn books! Heil George WTF!
July 10th, 2008 at 10:29 am"War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it." William T. Sherman
July 10th, 2008 at 10:29 amThe Administration may try to hide it, but there's no hiding that fundamental truth.
Impeach Pelosi, Cheney and Bush and Save the Constitution.
See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.
Evil doesn't exist in the bush administration - the lawyers told him so.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:35 amWhat is the real reason for this? Are they NOT proud of our fallen soldiers? I am very proud of them, does that make me unpatriotic?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:36 amWould this have anything to do with the WH pushing for removing protection for whistleblowers ?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:38 amFirst they disassemble the Fourth Amendment, so now they are going after the First. Not surprising, as Congress has been complicit.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:38 amTo me, the big irony is that the troops in Iraq/Afghanistan say that they don't feel the public support as the actions seem to be out of the public's mind.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:39 amIt's ironic that we are supposedly trying to establish democracy in the Middle East while it gives way to fascism here at home.
And that the meme "they hate us for our freedoms" is meaningless when our freedoms are eroding faster than a sugar cube in hot coffee.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:39 amThis is our "transparent" democracy at work where loyal Bushies are promoted while loyal Americans are fired.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
July 10th, 2008 at 10:50 amThe Bush/McBush Job Training Program:
extensive training in weeding out the "enemy combatants", hauling them into selected detentions centers, extensive training in the latest of new Oven Technologies.
Our Motto: Exterminate the Truth Tellers.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:51 amIt goes like this:
Media coverage of the funerals of young men and young women killed in Iraq would contribute to the public turning against the war.
If the public turns against the war, the public is no longer supporting the President.
If the public is no longer supporting the President, they are supporting the terrorists.
If the public is supporting the terrorists, they are giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
If the public is giving aid and comfort to the enemy, the public is committing treason.
If the public is committing treason, the public should be executed.
If the public is executed, there will be no one left to fight the war.
If there's no one left to fight the war, the terrorists win.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Meh. Whatever.
The military is just a deprecated relic of the old world order. In this new era of corporate warfare don't need no stinkin' military anymore!
July 10th, 2008 at 10:59 amAuthoritarian governments believe in free speech and a free press-
as long as they are in agreement with the government.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:05 amOut of frustration with the Catholics church's construction of elaborate, gilded edifices, Martin Luther began his revolt. In response to this Protestant Reformation, the Catholic church built a HUGE cathedral in Florence. So convinced of 'their way', their mindset of the Catholic church was "If what we are doing isn't working, then it is only because we aren't doing enough of it."
The Bush Regime has the same mindset. When what they are doing isn't working, they think it's because they aren't doing enough of it. Never mind Bush's 23% spproval rating.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:10 amMaybe we should just be thankful that they give us a US troop body count.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:11 amJuly 10th, 2008 at 11:17 am
In the U.K., this story ran on Sky News. As you'll notice, the coverage was respectful and honorable. It would seem appropriate to honor Americans who have made that ultimate sacrifice.
http://democurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-we-wont-see-troops-honored-as-we.html
July 10th, 2008 at 11:23 amupside:
I believe that you have to die on Iraqi soil to be counted in the Iraq War Dead Total. If you are wounded over there, but die after you're airlifted out, it doesn't count toward that total.
They're cooking the books on that one, too.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:43 amFrosty Cupcake Says:
I believe that you have to die on Iraqi soil to be counted in the Iraq War Dead Total. If you are wounded over there, but die after you’re airlifted out, it doesn’t count toward that total.
They’re cooking the books on that one, too.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:43 am
______
Also uncounted are the ones who are mentally wounded over there and commit suicide when they return home, like Army Specialist Joseph Dwyer earlier this week:
July 10th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
TrippleKick Says:
"Yawn". At least your forearms are getting a good workout carrying all that water for the Dumbya criminal White House.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:33 pmTrippleKick Says:
They are too morbidly “happy” to point out the casualties, but not willing to point to any of the successes that these soldiers and marines died for.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
______
What successes did our soldiers and marines die for, exactly? The start of a multi-ethnic civil war? The installation of an ineffectual puppet government? The ethnic cleansing of Baghdad? The creation fo 4 million refugees and IDPs? The deaths of 1.2 million innocent Iraqi civilians? The plunging of Iraq into five years without clean water or sanitation or reliable electricity? The decimating of Iraq's industrial and agricultural sector by opening up the country to unlimited cheap imports? The auctioning off of Iraq's banking sector and government services to the highest bidders? The pending production-sharing agreements with Shell, Total, Exxon-Mobil, and BP?
Do tell me, Tripplekick - what successes are you referring to?
July 10th, 2008 at 12:36 pmTrippleKick Says:
That should wake you up a bit. I am not surprised that you don’t know about the good things happening there, but you should try to educate yourself. This is one way to honor those who died there, by recognizing their accomplishments.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
______
What accomplishments? I invite you again to name one concrete accomplishment, one lasting, sustainable military success or achievement. Just one. Can you?
Hint - "only" 500 civilian deaths in a month versus 1000 civilian deaths in a prior month is really not the kind of "achievement" I'm referring to.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:09 pmWe've lived without the Bill of Rights for over 30 years.
Amendment #1 - We gave up freedom of the press long ago (they couldn't cover the First Gulf War, either - except for the fireworks show - remember?) If we protest governmental action, or show up at a funtion being held by a pol we disagree with, we are summarily removed, arrested or ticketed for trespassing.
Amendment #'s Four (no unreasonable searches & siezures, probable cause & warrants issued by judge), Five (Due Process,indictments, etc required), Six (right to fair & speedy trial; and right to know charges & confront winesses, etc - Jose Padilla, anyone?), and Eight (cruel & unusual punishment - anyone noticed the atrocities in our prison system,lately? And, of course, torture's fine, now too) have all gone by the wayside, long ago; just nobody noticed or cared (and still don't).
Bush & Cheney were allowed to ignore #Twelve (both were RESIDENTS of Texas when they decided to run together for Pres & Vice - Cheney simply changed his voter registration back to Wyoming). No one objected.
All these rights the Constitution says Congress "shall make no law" abridging - Congress HAS made many such laws. Some want the Ten Commandments posted in public buildings - We need the Constitution ENGRAVED in all government buildings throughout this country, just so it can easily be referred to by everyone. And it should be tatooed on the right hand of our elected Federal officials, so they know what it is they are swearing to protect & defend.
July 10th, 2008 at 4:23 pmRe:21 and 22
Another favorite "Enron" technique of cooking the books: If you're a contractor, even though you are performing a function of the military, your death isn't added to the tally.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:24 pm