Do we put enough emphasis (or too much) on returning our fallen service-members?

2015-07-27T12:44:11-04:00

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/27/remains-of-36-unidentified-marines-from-wwii-battle-return.html

I'd like to hear both sides of this. In some cases it's more clear, in others a little more hazy, but do we do enough to return our fallen men and women home?

Remains of 36 Unidentified Marines from WWII Battle Return

The military and a private organization brought home the remains of 36 Marines killed in one of World War II's bloodiest battles.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Jul 27 at 2015 12:46 PM

2015-07-27T12:46:44-04:00

All those who serve or have served are entitled to be returned and I feel every effort should be in place for that to happen. Never leave a fallen comrade.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jul 27 at 2015 12:46 PM

2015-07-27T12:46:53-04:00

We should never forget our fallen, IMHO.

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 27 at 2015 12:50 PM

2015-07-27T12:50:36-04:00

We as the Military/Vet community follow it, but I believe that the population as a majority do not.

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made Jul 27 at 2015 1:15 PM

2015-07-27T13:15:39-04:00

Bring em home.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 27 at 2015 1:20 PM

2015-07-27T13:20:58-04:00

I think the government does now or at least there is more visibility of the efforts. There is a slot for me in Hawaii with that Command that I'm going to attempt to get after my current duty assignment is over.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Jul 27 at 2015 1:26 PM

2015-07-27T13:26:41-04:00

Leave no-one behind. Most have this as their ethos... (modified for gender correctness of course...)

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Jul 27 at 2015 5:21 PM

2015-07-27T17:21:00-04:00

**** RELATED STORY ****

REMAINS OF PEARL HARBOR VICTIMS DUG UP FOR IDENTIFICATION ...

The military on Monday exhumed more caskets containing the unidentified remains of USS Oklahoma crew members killed in the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The coffins were dug up at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, where they have rested for decades. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in April that it would disinter up to 388 Oklahoma servicemen to account for sailors and Marines still classified as missing.

The cemetery and the military allowed the media to observe a ceremony afterward when flags were draped over the coffins.

The Oklahoma identification project involves disinterring 61 caskets at 45 grave sites at the Honolulu cemetery commonly known as Punchbowl. More than a dozen caskets have already been exhumed.

The Oklahoma capsized after being hit by torpedoes during the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack. Altogether, 429 sailors and Marines on board were killed. Only 35 were identified in the years immediately after.

Hundreds were buried as unknowns at cemeteries in Hawaii. In 1950, they were reburied as unknowns at the Punchbowl.

The military is acting now, more than 70 years after the men died, because advances in forensic science and technology as well as genealogical help from family members have made it possible to identify more remains.

The identification work will be conducted at Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratories in Hawaii and Nebraska. They will also be done at the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

The agency expects to identify about 80 percent of Oklahoma crew members now considered missing. It expects the work will take about five years.

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2015/07/27/uss-oklahoma-remains-dug-up-for-identification/30750103/

Response by SGT Anthony Rossi made Jul 27 at 2015 5:22 PM

2015-07-27T17:22:14-04:00

If the fallen soldier was my twin brother I would do everything in my power to bring his remains home. With this in mind I realy don't think you can be overboard when it comes to bring our fallen home.

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. -Matthew 22:39

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 27 at 2015 5:47 PM

2015-07-27T17:47:31-04:00

As a country, I don't feel we put nearly enough emphasis on returning the fallen. Personally, I don't think you could ever put too much emphasis on returning a service member to the soil which they died for.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 27 at 2015 5:51 PM

2015-07-27T17:51:15-04:00

I think that America as a society needs to put more emphasis on these individuals. Those that have given the ultimate price should be mourned by all Americans. It is unfortunate though that you'll see a bigger headline for some celebrity that has died than the case of someone who has died overseas and finally returning home after X amount of years.

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Jul 27 at 2015 6:12 PM

2015-07-27T18:12:13-04:00

The emphasis it there and id more than enough, unfortunately some would like to not see it at all, or keep it confined to military circles at a decent time... The reason I ofter hear is that they don't want to be "consistently reminded of our dead boys..." No... To do so would mean that they would have to have a desire to know their stories, or at least something about them; who they are, where they are from; how they paid the ultimate cost... To most AD, Vet and Civ, this paying of respect doesn't get old... A little sad, a little angry, a little tiresome, a little somber, a little honored, a little proud and a few other emotions, but it never gets old... To the community (Yes, some of the Civ's, Vet's and AD, not all of them) after seeing this a few of these they become sensitized to the entire affair to the point that, for some (not all), the process has become more of an inconvenience and a constant reminder of the cause of the disruption to their daily lives... Something they know happens, but keep it out of sight as they don't want it to damper their emotions or dictate change to their feelings...
DISCLAIMER: Not all civilians, AD and Vets feel this way, this opinion is just from my experience with those that do while working with our local VFW and AL, and yes, there are Vets and AD in this group as well...

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jul 27 at 2015 6:56 PM

2015-07-27T18:56:47-04:00

No. The big picture is the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) which is a 500 person agency has been rocked by inefficiency, internal squabbling, and resistance to working with NGOs. Their budget is $100,000,000 a year and it appears to fund their existence. If we repatriate 100 MIA per year, that is $1,000,000 per person, but the number is estimated to be 80,000 MIAs around the world. DPAA might get the credit for bringing back marines, however, I would not be surprised if an American Pilot who funded himself was instrumental in pointing DPAA in the right direction, the very man that was dismissed by the agency and were obstinate in not collaborating with him. As much it pleases me that 36 Marines returned home, we still have 79,964 still missing. The answer is hell no!

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 27 at 2015 7:46 PM

2015-07-27T19:46:49-04:00

There's no greater debt that we owe than that to our veterans, both living and dead...no matter where they are.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jul 27 at 2015 8:05 PM

2015-07-27T20:05:41-04:00

It is a shame that locals who know of burial sites are dying of old age.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 31 at 2015 8:25 AM

2015-07-31T08:25:12-04:00

Don't we have a saying that goes something like: "No man left behind?" 'Nuff said!