SOLDIERS ANGER OVER DEAN BROTHER

Drudge Report ^ | 11-26-2003 | Matt Drudge

[yhwhsman]

XXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX WED NOV 26, 2003 10:49:38 ET XXXXX

SOLDIERS ANGER OVER DEAN BROTHER 'MILITARY HONORS'

**Exclusive**

Active duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are upset over being forced take part in a military repatriation ceremony today for remains believed to be those of the non-military brother of presidential candidate Howard Dean, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

"His brother will receive full military honors...flag over the coffin and all!" fumes one soldier, who asked not to be named.

Governor Dean is set to visit to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and the repatriation of his brother to Hickam AFB, Hawaii.

The brother's remains were recovered in Laos by a JPAC recovery team this past month. JPAC's mission is to search, recover, and identify remains of US service members who were killed in previous wars.

During the Vietnam War, Dean's brother and an Australian friend treked into Laos as civilians -- and were captured by the Vietcong and killed.

JPAC was pressured to not only recover his brother's remains, but to bump Dean's recovery over numerous other MIA's who actually died fighting for their country, a well-placed military source tells the DRUDGE REPORT.

Additionally, JPAC is being pressured to push up Dean's brother's identification ahead of approximately a hundred other service members remains, it is claimed.

Says one source: "These service members were recovered from all US wars, whose families are waiting to finally get word that their loved one, who gave his life for his country has been identified and is finally coming home. It usually take 2 years plus for an identification. Apparently, this 'rush job' will be done in 4-6 months. That's not all, we are repatriating his Australian friend, with military honors, and pushing his identification ahead our service members also."

The military source continues: "We feel it is not only a slap in the face to the servicemembers who gave their lives for our great country, but also the men and women who are currently in harms way"

In the past, JPAC has recovered remains of civilians [specifically contract civilians working for the military], but never with military honors!

In fact, one time, JPAC team members conducting the recovery had to actually pay the postage to FEDEX the remains back to the family because the government would not pay for it.

Developing...

[yhwhsman]

I haven't seen this posted/discussed anywhere yet.

This is absolutely vile. IMHO, this disgrace is an attempt to draw sympathy for and attention away from Howard Dean and his 'medical disqualification' during the Vietnam War.

What a detestable thing to do to our true heroes.

[Keith in Iowa]

Duplicate of: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1029372/posts

[InvisibleChurch]

does "Dean's brother" even have a name?

[Ethyl]

I haven't seen this posted/discussed anywhere yet.

This is absolutely vile. IMHO, this disgrace is an attempt to draw sympathy for and attention away from Howard Dean and his 'medical disqualification' during the Vietnam War.


What a detestable thing to do to our true heroes.


Who authorised this crap? This is demeaning to the troops, this guy was not even in th Military, so why the ceromony??????????? Why was this done? Dean is a draft dodger, ski slope sucker, lied to the Military, and will get beat in the Presidential Vote.

[pepsionice]

Ask yourself two questions.

If the current administration controls the recovery team (via the Pentagon)...who would have made the decision to push his remains recovery to the top? Easy answer: a Bush appointee.

If the current adminstration controls the military burial process and handles 'honors'....who would have made the decision to bless this honor? Easy answer: a Bush appointee.

In both cases, these gentlemen need to be fired. I strongly suspect that this was all political in nature and would be ammo for the Bush re-election team. I am a GW supporter...but this is really below the dignity of the current administration. It gives them a slight smell of the Hillery administration. Lets lay blame on the correct source of this episode.

[mylife]

its just Dean being very sneaky. the dead brother becomes a soldier..therefore dean is a soldier as well. the brother died in vietnam(laos actually, I believe) and iraq is vietnam..this consumates deans hatred toward the present war in iraq.

I hope that made no sense.....Its just my jab at demlogic!

[Libertina]

Hope this isn't lost in the holiday rush...

[farmguy]

Its especially vile if you recall that when Clinton was president, they brought home the remains of some Korean war era KIAs with UN flags on the coffins.

[RWG]

Maybe the two civilians were undercover?

[TheWriterInTexas]

There are a great many positions that are not appointments, but folks who remain on from administration to administration.

Don't jump the gun and claim this was a "Bush appointee" until you have all the facts. This could be a career civil servant (or civil servants), for all we know, who hate Bush.

[NMFXSTC]

The MIA count, as of today is 1875...and a civilian cavorting about in Laos, when he (or his skiing partner brother) could have been in uniform and on duty, is not authorized a burial flag and a salute (as was clearly pictured!)...as for the military guys who renered that salute...get some 'nads! 58,000 names are etched in granite on the Mall...honor THEM, not a civilian wioth no connection to the war (at an age when they should have been!)

[pepsionice]

To have two major screw-ups (both the recovery and the honors)? In both cases, the military individuals involved (on the recovery team and with the honor guard) should have questioned the orders given. They didn't. Both violate standards acceptted and written down. The media will cover the Dean angle for about a week...cutting him down...but eventually, they will come back around and start asking questions to the administration. I stand by my original comment....both individuals need to be fired. This was wrong to turn this into a political event....either to hurt Bush or to hurt Dean.

[NMFXSTC]

I have 27 years (retired now) service, two PHs...damned if I would render honors to a civilian with no status...I am pissed that ur "PC" active military succombed to this disrespect for the uniform and their comrades who earn that flag and honor.

[zip]

ping

[tbpiper]

Perhaps Mr. Dean is going to have a 'Wellstone' moment. This is despicable.

[Chapita]

I always here that bit about "fighting for our country", yet as I remember, everyone was fighting for their buddies and the only team that was going to provide a way out of there!

[Servant of the 9]

Weasely Clark and John Kerry have been beating up on Howard Dean all week as a draft dodger.
I am sure they will use this to beat him like a gong.
They both can use their phony outrage to scream about draft dodging brothers pushing ahead of genuine heroes who died in service to their country.
Anything that brings a weaker candidate Dean into the General Election is a good thing.

So9

[Ben Hecks]

"damned if I would render honors to a civilian with no status"

My reaction is the same as yours - consider, however, that this might well reflect the attitude of many active and retired members who will
remember this in the event Dean were the RAT presidential contender.

[TheWriterInTexas]

Sorry for the late reply, Pepsi.

I agree, the person who ordered this needs to be let go. There was not enough house cleaning at the beginning of the administration. Everything about it stinks. But my point is we don't know what motivated the person who made the decision, so we can't automatically assume it was made with the blessings of the administration.

As much as I hated Clinton, I didn't hold him accountable for everything that went wrong on his watch, although there were lots. The decision maker and his boss need to go!

P.S. Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.

[sandlady]

The article I read on this stated that it wasn't conclusive that all the remains were Dean and his partner; some could belong to an American service member therefor necessitating the military honors.