Monday, February 23, 2004
Mother's Sons and Transfer Tubes
From the Baltimore Sun a fairly middle of the road story of the transfer tube and media blackout policy at Dover. Of course the government's position is we don't want to show the transfer tubes out of respect for the families; however, some of the families don't see it that way.
"Carolyn Hutchings, whose son, Marine Pvt. Nolen Ryan Hutchings, 20, was killed... 'That's crap. I'm sorry, that's crap,' she said of the government's desire to protect families' privacy. 'Everybody knew my son had died,' she said. 'Why not acknowledge it?'
To acknowledge it may effect public sentiment. Many blame the media for the disaster that was Vietnam and the administration does not need or want a disaster in an election year.
"'That's all you hear on TV, it's a count,' said Hutchings, her voice quavering. "'It's nothing but a count.'"
PBS has a section after every Newshour where they show some of the men and women who have been killed. It's moving. I've previously posted a link to CNN's special segment as well. To a large degree the media does not want to personalize this war; in part I wonder if they don't have some collective guilt, some twisted sense of responsibility, and believe they did cause the public to turn against Nam thereby made the war unwinnable. Maybe that's why they agreed to be embedded. It's was their contrition. Their "forgive me father".
|
"Carolyn Hutchings, whose son, Marine Pvt. Nolen Ryan Hutchings, 20, was killed... 'That's crap. I'm sorry, that's crap,' she said of the government's desire to protect families' privacy. 'Everybody knew my son had died,' she said. 'Why not acknowledge it?'
To acknowledge it may effect public sentiment. Many blame the media for the disaster that was Vietnam and the administration does not need or want a disaster in an election year.
"'That's all you hear on TV, it's a count,' said Hutchings, her voice quavering. "'It's nothing but a count.'"
PBS has a section after every Newshour where they show some of the men and women who have been killed. It's moving. I've previously posted a link to CNN's special segment as well. To a large degree the media does not want to personalize this war; in part I wonder if they don't have some collective guilt, some twisted sense of responsibility, and believe they did cause the public to turn against Nam thereby made the war unwinnable. Maybe that's why they agreed to be embedded. It's was their contrition. Their "forgive me father".
Comments:
Post a Comment
