Interesting piece about BushCo/Rummy bureaucracy tonight

[lpbk2713]

on ABC Nigtline (Ted Koppell) about a young Marine KIA and the heartless treatment his parents had to go through......

I traveled to Wisconsin to meet the Maida family. They told me that horrible news was just the beginning of a painful process of dealing with a bureaucracy -- in this case, the Army -- as they tried to find out what happened to their 22-year-old son, Mark, and bury him with dignity.

First came the confusion over when their son's body would return home, so they could arrange a funeral. The Maidas were given just a few hours' notice to scramble to the Milwaukee airport. They had to fight to meet their son's coffin on the tarmac rather than pick it up in cargo, as originally directed.

Then, after repeated attempts to find out the details of their son's death, they had to read them in The Washington Post, three months after Mark died. To this day, Mark's parents can't believe they've never received a call from his commanding officer to talk about their son's sacrifice -- a common courtesy.

A parent can never prepare themselves for their child's death, but the Maida family says their grief was compounded by the way the Army handled Mark's death. Other families have also complained to the military about what they perceive as insensitive treatment. You'll hear from the Secretary of the Army who says the notification process is a difficult one, and admits mistakes have been made.


This is the work of the "Compassionate Conservatives"