June 10, 2004
Caskets redux
With the death of our fortieth president, the display of flag-draped caskets for public servants has apparently come back into vogue, the Department of Defense policy prohibiting such displays for the military as “unwarranted and undignified” to the contrary.
The forty-third president, however, apparently affirms the DoD’s policy by consistently avoiding the funerals of the American casualties of the Iraqi war. On the other hand, he will undoubtedly not only attend, but assume a conspicuous role in the National Cathedral funeral where the fortieth president’s flag-draped casket’s display, after numerous previous exhibits, will be — and justly so — both warranted and dignified.
Perhaps such continued irony will no longer escape us. With equal warranty and dignity may we now properly recognize all who give their lives for us in service to our country.