"Since the end of the Vietnam War, presidents have worried that their military actions would lose support once the public glimpsed the remains of U.S. soldiers arriving at air bases in flag-draped caskets. To this problem, the Bush administration has found a simple solution: It has ended the public dissemination of such images by banning news coverage and photography of dead soldiers' homecomings on all military bases.
"In March, on the eve of the Iraq war, a directive arrived from the Pentagon at U.S. military bases. 'There will be no arrival ceremonies for, or media coverage of, deceased military personnel returning to or departing from Ramstein [Germany] airbase or Dover [Del.] base, to include interim stops,' the Defense Department said, referring to the major ports for the returning remains.
"A Pentagon spokeswoman said the military-wide policy actually dates from about November 2000 -- the last days of the Clinton administration -- but it apparently went unheeded and unenforced, as images of caskets returning from the Afghanistan war appeared on television broadcasts and in newspapers until early this year. Though Dover Air Force Base, which has the military's largest mortuary, has had restrictions for 12 years, others 'may not have been familiar with the policy,' the spokeswoman said. This year, 'we've really tried to enforce it.'"
On Wednesday, I posted the above picture, that was taken by Tami Silicio. She was a Kuwait-based cargo worker, who snapped the picture of flag-draped coffins, filled with the bodies of soldiers who were returning from Iraq. Silicio worked for a company who is contracted by the Pentagon. Her picture was posted in Sunday's edition of the Seattle Times. She was fired this week because of the photo.
Also this week, a day after Silicio was fired for her photo infraction, an excellent web site called The Memory Hole, published over 300 photos that they obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. The request had initially been denied, but was approved upon appeal.
After the Memory Hole published the photos, they were picked up by mainstream newspapers and finally broadcast media were forced to carry them.
Now, today, we learn that the Defense Department has ordered the no more photos be released.
Of what are they afraid? That the truth about how many are dying in Iraq will get out? Are they concerned that Americans might awaken to the reality that another Vietnam is already a reality?
The following is a sampling of some of the photos. These are a few of the photos that the Pentagon and the Illuminati spooks who make up our shadow government fear for you to see. Click each one to enlarge.
Even though there will be no more photos, there will be more coffins. And maybe, in the future they won't bother to place them into flag-decorated boxes.
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