Has anyone run into this at a military funeral?
http://www.theconservativenews.com/reader_submissions
Well it could be because Obama is a secret Muslim who hates his country, or it could be something that is easily explained by searching Snopes. I can’t decide.
In general though, we have to give the benefit of doubt to the conservatives who ginned up a phony reason to send troops into harms way and then didn’t send them humvees armored against IEDs. Like Newt Gingrich who is so pro-family that he’s had half a dozen of them, conservatives love dead and injured veterans so much that they want to have more.
Snopes gives an explanation.
ninja’d
I can’t wait to see all the conservatives that update their spam to aim it at Bush and the military rather than Obama. The WH inbox is going to be so full of apologies that it might overflow.
Fucking right-wing ninnys.
Per Snopes:
Per a trainer with the Army National Guard Funeral Honors Program, the range, breadth and number of funerals lead to non-officers taking on the solemn duty. Only officers, however, can “can technically speak for the President of the United States.” Hence, “it became necessary to change the words we speak in order to keep the meaning and honor of the verbiage. Now, using the new minimum wording, any military person can render honors without sacrificing the integrity of the officer’s commission and the President’s authority.”
ETA: Also, Rio.
I haven’t heard about it or seen it, but I see there is a lot of discussion about it online. Most of that discussion is written to imply (without saying it) that Obama had the reference to the presidency removed because he hates the military. Unsurprisingly, that’s not true. There was no presidential order about this and the change was made before Obama took office. The gist is that it’s against protocol for noncommissioned officers to speak on behalf of the president, and it’s not possible for a commissioned officer to attend every military funeral, so sometimes you hear the Secretary of Defense named instead. Snopes explains the details here.
Even if you’re of a mind to believe Obama would do this kind of thing because he hates the military - and I’m not saying the OP is, but some people think that way - he would have to also be very stupid to air his disrespect that way.
…And that’s what I get for starting on a post and then getting busy with other stuff.
During my dad’s funeral last year I’m sure the sailor said “On behalf of the President …”. I supposed he could have been a commissioned officer, but was wearing what I’d consider a normal seamans uniform as in this pic. Would an officer wear this style of uniform?
He might have been an old-school veteran rather than an active duty sailor, and not heard about the new general regulation. My dad still wears that style of uniform for funeral services with the American Legion, and he’s been out for the better part of four decades.
Come to think of it, I’m not sure what the general deal is with personnel present for military funerals of veterans. In rural PA where I grew up, it was generally the VFW/American Legion supplying the color guard and the chaplain, rather than it being active-duty personnel.
Heh - mrAru was not an officer, and he worked with the honor guard assigned for my Dad’s funeral, and he used the original wording. My dad was somewhat of a traditionalist. [he also provided the flag, one that had been flown over the Spadefish when it was moored in Bremerhaven back in the 80s]
I guess it makes sense that the guys would be ex-Navy and in the Legion or whatever. It’s not like there are a lot of Naval bases in Arkansas where you could find an officer available on a few day’s notice.
There’s one in Millington, TN - very close to Arkansas. Besides, recruiting commands in the state would make officers available locally.
Is that supposed to be a thing, or is my memory faulty? I only remember recruiting commands making officers available for recent vets or active-duty soldiers, and I remember my dad and his Legion guys doing the color guard and flag-folding for a good many local veteran funerals of WWII vets and similar.
Perhaps its something the family has to request, and my area is just more prone to talking to the local veteran’s association?
The American Legion and the VFW are typically able to provide a more elaborate service that includes a rifle salute.
Does it have to be a military bugler? It just seems to me that a live bugle would be so much more dignified than a recording. You would think the local high school would have someone available to put on a suit and play Taps.
It doesn’t–one older gentlemen and I were each paid a small stipend by the local American Legion post to do bugling duties as needed. Him in his Scoutmaster uniform, me in Civil Air Patrol, it worked out.
That sounds perfectly appropriate. I’m glad there are people like you willing to lend a hand for our vets.
For several years, as a lieutenant, I was the go-to guy at Fort Benning for high-profile funerals. (You get good at something and they give you more of it to do.) I have presented almost a hundred flags over the years 1982-1985 or so. The speech was;
On behalf of the Secretary of Defense I present you this flag in appreciation of your husband/son/daughter’s service.
Or perhaps I was doing it wrong. Still I looked good doing it wrong.
What amazes me is that this time my inbox is stuffed with forwarded mail from conservatives apologizing to the President and making sure that the misinformation is corrected.
perhaps the funeral attendees should look at the bright side. Why would they want anything done to them on behalf of Barack Obama [del]and everything for which he stands[/del] in the first place?