Family forced to pay to ship body of Marine killed after Pentagon policy change: 'Egregious injustice'

[Lee]

This shouldn't affect recruiting one little bit.

 

Quote

 

A Republican lawmaker is sounding the alarm after being notified that one of the 13 Gold Star families from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was forced to pay to move the body of their loved one.

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., who is an Army veteran, told Fox News Digital that during a meeting with the families of the "Fallen 13" last week, he was "enraged to learn that the Department of Defense had placed a heavy financial burden" on the family of Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, who were forced to find funding in the thousands to move her body to its final resting place after her 2021 death in Afghanistan.

The Gee family secured the funding, which came to "a staggering $60,000," to move their loved one's body after a nonprofit organization stepped in to cover the cost, Mills said.

According to Mills' office, the option for the Defense Department to decline to pay for transport of the body was made possible by an amendment to last year's National Defense Authorization Act, which states that the secretary of Defense may provide a fallen service member's next of kin "a commercial air travel use waiver for the transportation of deceased remains of [a] military member who dies inside a theater of combat operations."

Gee's remains were initially flown to her hometown of Roseville, California, for a ceremony, but the responsibility for transporting Gee to her final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery would fall on the family. Honoring Our Fallen, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting the families of fallen American service members, stepped up to help the family move Gee via private jet to Virginia.

But Mills says the responsibility should fall on the Defense Department and not burden the families of fallen heroes.

Read more.

 

https://www.foxnews.com/us/family-forced-pay-ship-body-marine-killed-after-pentagon-policy-change-egregious-injustice

[scott h]

I have escorted numerous remains of fallen comrades over the years, one time even across the border to Mexico for internment and the military always foots the bill for transportation the deceased Home of Record. 

Having read the article nothing seems out of the ordinary here. The military are sticklers when it comes to regulations. It appears that the remains were in fact sent to her home of record, but the family wanted her interred at Arlington. If the Marine did not meet whatever requirements there are for military funded internment there, then the family would have to foot the bill.

A sad story, and a headline grabber, but it appears normal to me. (from the information given in the article anyway) 

[Joey G]

Having served and worked in the military for 40+ years I've seen a lot flat out dumb (and wrong) things happen. But if anyone is waiting for cable news or politicians to tell them the real story, with all the details... don't hold your breath.  

[Lee]

A couple of thoughts here.

Sgt Gee was blown up by suicide bombers while trying to help evacuate US personnel who had been left behind in Afghanistan.

Todays woke military has no problem paying for transgender surgeries and gender affirming care.

Todays woke military also have no problem paying for out of state abortions for its servicemembers.

Seems reasonable enough to me for the military to cover all the funeral costs of a servicemember who dies on the battlefield. This only became an issue after a recent change in DOD policy.
 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2023 by Lee
clarification

[hk blues]

51 minutes ago, Lee said:

A couple of thoughts here.

Sgt Gee was blown up by suicide bombers while trying to help evacuate US personnel who had been left behind in Afghanistan.

Todays woke military has no problem paying for transgender surgeries and gender affirming care.

Todays woke military also have no problem paying for out of state abortions for its servicemembers.

Seems reasonable enough to me for the military to cover all the funeral costs of a servicemember who dies on the battlefield. This only became an issue after a recent change in DOD policy.
 

 

 

Is it a cost issue or one of principal/policy/procedure though? 

[scott h]

1 hour ago, Lee said:

Todays woke military

I agree that the military is getting carried away with all this woke jazz,

But in this instance, I do not believe woke has anything to do with it, just military regulations and procedures. We do not know all the facts due to the brevity of the article. But my guess is that the body was transported to the home of record as per regulation and that at a later date the family wished her to be interred at Arlington, which the family would have to pay for. 

What I find just as interesting is that the only agencies that are carrying this story is Fox and the Daily mail UK both conservative outlets. 

So what pisses me off is not that the family had to follow regulations but that they are being used to push a political narrative.

[Lee]

8 minutes ago, scott h said:

What I find just as interesting is that the only agencies that are carrying this story is Fox and the Daily mail UK both conservative outlets.

So why aren't the other networks carrying this story? You know the answer to this just as well as I do.

[scott h]

2 minutes ago, Lee said:

So why aren't the other networks carrying this story?

Yep, the political parties are using the military to embarrass each other. Just like you will not hear about the interstate abortion ban affecting the military on certain networks but you will on others....

[Guy F.]

Just so you know, there is a new national cemetery in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It hasn't seen much business yet. You could get in on the ground floor! It would be a good alternative for those whose visitors wouldn't need to travel nearly so far as Arlington.