By Daryl Lang
Department of Defense via The National Security Archive
Some official government photos of honor guard ceremonies, such as the one seen here, have been obtained through lawsuits.
Updated 6:05 p.m.
ET
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced an end
to the ban on press photos of the flag-draped caskets of fallen
troops returning to U.S. soil.
The media will be allowed to cover the ceremonial returns of
military dead with permission from the families, Gates said at a
press briefing February 26.
"I have decided that the decision
regarding media coverage of the dignified transfer process at Dover
should be made by those most directly affected — on an individual
basis — by the families of the fallen," Gates
said.
The media ban has been in place since 1991. As a result, very few
pictures have surfaced of the caskets of the
about 3,850 service members killed in
action since 2001. Honor guards greet the returning caskets of
fallen soldiers and Marines at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Photography groups had lobbied for the ban to be lifted and
responded positively to the news.
"This is an important moment in our history and it speaks loudly
for the First Amendment," said National Press Photographers
Association president
Bob Carey in a
statement. "It also is an important step to honor our fallen
heros."
Associated Press director of photography
Santiago Lyon also
applauded the decision in a
statement.
"The Associated Press is pleased with the U.S. Defense Secretary's
decision, which allows us to augment our coverage of wars abroad in
a more complete fashion by being able to document these sad
homecomings of America's war dead with the dignity and respect they
deserve," Lyon said.
Earlier this year,
President Barack Obama and other
officials said the policy was under review. Last year, a
Congressional bill proposed overturning the photo ban.
The military has granted exceptions to the rule on rare occasions,
such as the 1996 return of the bodies of Commerce Secretary
Ron
Brown and other Americans killed in a plane crash in
Croatia.
Several batches of official military photos of honor guard
ceremonies have been released in recent years as a result of
lawsuits and Freedom of Information Act requests.
Related story
August 14, 2008: Bill Would End Ban on Photos of Returning Military
Dead
Pentagon Will Allow Photos of Returning War Dead, With Permission
Feb 26, 2009
By Daryl Lang
Some official government photos of honor guard ceremonies, such as the one seen here, have been obtained through lawsuits.
Updated 6:05 p.m. ET
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced an end to the ban on press photos of the flag-draped caskets of fallen troops returning to U.S. soil.
The media will be allowed to cover the ceremonial returns of military dead with permission from the families, Gates said at a press briefing February 26.
"I have decided that the decision regarding media coverage of the dignified transfer process at Dover should be made by those most directly affected — on an individual basis — by the families of the fallen," Gates said.
The media ban has been in place since 1991. As a result, very few pictures have surfaced of the caskets of the
about 3,850 service members killed in action since 2001. Honor guards greet the returning caskets of fallen soldiers and Marines at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Photography groups had lobbied for the ban to be lifted and responded positively to the news.
"This is an important moment in our history and it speaks loudly for the First Amendment," said National Press Photographers Association president
Bob Carey in a
statement. "It also is an important step to honor our fallen heros."
Associated Press director of photography
Santiago Lyon also applauded the decision in a
statement. "The Associated Press is pleased with the U.S. Defense Secretary's decision, which allows us to augment our coverage of wars abroad in a more complete fashion by being able to document these sad homecomings of America's war dead with the dignity and respect they deserve," Lyon said.
Earlier this year,
President Barack Obama and other officials said the policy was under review. Last year, a Congressional bill proposed overturning the photo ban.
The military has granted exceptions to the rule on rare occasions, such as the 1996 return of the bodies of Commerce Secretary
Ron Brown and other Americans killed in a plane crash in Croatia.
Several batches of official military photos of honor guard ceremonies have been released in recent years as a result of lawsuits and Freedom of Information Act requests.
Related story
August 14, 2008: Bill Would End Ban on Photos of Returning Military Dead
