[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 48 (Thursday, March 19, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H3683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ALLOWING PRESS AT DOVER AIR FORCE BASE WHEN FALLEN TROOPS RETURN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
one of our fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to 
our Nation in Iraq, and to share a letter I recently received from his 
father, Robert Stokely. Robert's letter relates to a Department of 
Defense policy that directly affected his family, and most especially, 
Mr. Speaker, his son.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to read this letter, as I 
feel it is necessary for this body to fully understand this issue in 
order to protect the dignity of our troops. Robert Stokely is from 
Newnan, Georgia, my wife's hometown. And of course I represented that 
area and am very proud of the folks in Newnan.
  Mr. Robert Stokely writes:
  ``I was alarmed at the question asked by Ed Henry at President 
Obama's address to the Nation on Monday, February 9, 2009, i.e., 
allowing media access and cameras at Dover Air Force Base where fallen 
military personnel arrive on their final trip home to an honorable 
rest. I am also alarmed by an AP news article that Secretary of Defense 
Robert Gates has ordered a review of the policy. Please take a moment 
and read my story of meeting my son, and hopefully you can have a vivid 
image of why it is important to keep the family first in this matter, 
for it is a very personal moment when a fallen hero arrives home.
  ``I met my son's body at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 
Atlanta on August 24, 2005 as he arrived from Dover. I went alone as a 
special privilege to take his body to the funeral home, where the 
family would then be the first to see the most striking, vivid image of 
a fallen loved one, the flag-draped casket. I rode in the hearse to 
take him on a 25-mile ride, covering the roads that Mike and I had 
shared so many days as a divorced dad and son going to and from 
visitation on weekends, holidays, and summers. It was a `last ride to 
take my boy home.' ''
  And this is in bold font, Mr. Speaker.
  ``I wore a favorite blue blazer, trousers, and a red and blue striped 
tie, for my son deserved my respect. As they uncrated his casket and 
draped the American flag over him, I saluted from nearby, tears 
streaming down my cheeks, as a number of busy U.S. Air cargo employees 
suddenly stopped in stunned silence, only then realizing what was 
taking place.
  ``I held my salute, poor as it was for an untrained civilian, until 
the flag was completely draped and the edges evenly cornered out. Then 
I stepped outside to call my wife, Retta, who loved him like one of her 
own. And as she answered the telephone, with tears still streaming down 
my cheeks and with a quiver in my voice, I said, ``our boy is home.''
  Mike Stokely was age 23 when he was killed by a roadside bomb in 
Iraq. While the political debate about Iraq or any other war may be had 
in a free country like this, such as we enjoy, there is no debate that 
our military personnel engage in of the politics of when, where, or how 
long a war is waged. They have a constitutional duty to obey the 
Commander in Chief's lawful orders.
  Mike Stokely, and many others, did their constitutional duty, and in 
doing so, preserved our freedom. Mike, and those like him who haven't 
yet but will die for America, do not need to be a media spectacle at 
Dover Air Force Base.
  ``I was once asked what I thought the real cost of freedom is. There 
are many such costs, but for the Stokely family, and like many of us, 
the highest cost has been paid, a lifetime of love.
  ``Is it too much to ask, given what the fallen and their families 
have given America, for us to have that first moment of seeing the 
flag-draped casket to be ours and ours alone? Should we now be asked to 
give more so that something so private can be used to sell advertising, 
to ensure a media outlet's profitable bottom line? Black ink on the 
bottom line is usually a good thing, but it cannot be so when it comes 
at the cost of making a spectacle of our fallen, thus dishonoring their 
spilled red American blood. I hope your answer will be an unequivocal, 
unwavering, and unapologetic `no,' and that you will fight to keep the 
honorable sanctity of Dover rather than allow it to become a media 
spectacle.
  ``Please protect our fallen and their families and the privacy of 
Dover, for our fallen have given their lives to protect the lifetime of 
love you and your family and millions of other Americans continue to 
live and enjoy.
  ``Proud dad of Sergeant Mike Stokely.''
  Mr. Speaker, the policy of allowing media to photograph these caskets 
at Dover Air Force Base is a serious issue for many families that have 
been struck with the tragedy of losing a loved one in battle. The brave 
service men and women on their final journey home have given their 
lives for our freedom. We must ensure that not only are their remains 
handled with the utmost respect, but that the wishes of their families 
are given the respect they so richly deserve.

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