coffin photo rule must be flexible (361 photos)

[shockingelk]

Didn't see this here yet ...

http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/coffin_photos/dover/

(edited to clarify that I'm not Russ Kirk, the individual that filed the FOI request and it's also his website. I'm just posting the link and a bit of text)

>>> Since March 2003, a newly-enforced military regulation has forbidden taking or distributing images of caskets or body tubes containing the remains of soldiers who died overseas. ...

Immediately after hearing about this, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the following:

"All photographs showing caskets (or other devices) containing the remains of US military personnel at Dover AFB. This would include, but not be limited to, caskets arriving, caskets departing, and any funerary rites/rituals being performed. The timeframe for these photos is from 01 February 2003 to the present."

I specified Dover because they process the remains of most, if not all, US military personnel killed overseas. Not surpisingly, my request was completely rejected. Not taking 'no' for an answer, I appealed on several grounds, and—to my amazement—the ruling was reversed. The Air Force then sent me a CD containing 361 photographs of flag-draped coffins and the services welcoming the deceased soldiers.

[NMDemDist2]

1. wow. FOIA what a concept! good job n/t

[freetobegay]

2. Would you care to share those with us?

I would even host them on my website.

[shockingelk]

3. It's not my website

but one would think that the photos are already ours - we paid for them. Such is the idea behind FOI requests.

[alvis]

7. Link

Here is a link to the gallery: http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/coffin_photos/dover/gallery.htm">http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/coffin_photos/dover/gallery.htm

[freetobegay]

8. Thank you!

:)

[alvis]

9. You're Welcome

[newyawker99]

12. Hi alvis!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[alvis]

16. Thank You!

And Cheers! :toast:

[KC]

4. Woman loses her job over coffins photo

A military contractor has fired Tami Silicio, a Kuwait-based cargo worker whose photograph of flag-draped coffins of fallen U.S. soldiers was published in Sunday's edition of The Seattle Times.

Silicio was let go yesterday for violating U.S. government and company regulations, said William Silva, president of Maytag Aircraft, the contractor that employed Silicio at Kuwait International Airport.
"I feel like I was hit in the chest with a steel bar and got my wind knocked out. I have to admit I liked my job, and I liked what I did," Silicio said.

Her photograph, taken earlier this month, shows more than 20 flag-draped coffins in a cargo plane about to depart from Kuwait. Since 1991, the Pentagon has banned the media from taking pictures of caskets being returned to the United States.

snip

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001909527_coffin22m.html

[shockingelk]

10. very strange

It seems the folks that fulfilled the FOI request did just about the same thing. I wonder how she feels about these photos.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

5. good job

[skooooo]

6. Wow...incredible.

You know the Republicans are really trying to crackdwon on the information that gets out. Bush has even made a political appointeee to oversee the Government Printing Office and make it "self-sustaining" -- which means they want it to be able to charge citizens for information that their tax money has already paid for. Incredible, huh? Kudos to you who got these pictures!

[Tellurian]

11. Outstanding effort, thanks

The website is jamming...will wait till later on and try again.

[skip fox]

13. A few scattered around, like here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1453879

[seemslikeadream]

14. These photos are from Drudge

If someone could explain to me how to get photos back here after I save them to my hard drive? I'm not understanding the changing from bmp to html or htm?

[HFishbine]

15. You can't

post photos here from your hard drive. They have to be hosted on an internet server somewhere first before you can link to them in a post.