Washington, Feb 11: At the prompting of President
Barack Obama, Defence Secretary Robert Gates ordered a review
of a ban on media coverage of the return of flag-draped
coffins of fallen soldiers from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"From a personal standpoint, I think, if the needs of the
families can be met, and the privacy concerns can be
addressed, the more honour we can accord these fallen heroes,
the better," Gates told reporters.
Gates said that he ordered the review after Obama said in a
White House press conference on Monday night that the White House
was in the process of reviewing the ban "in conversations with
the Department of Defence."
News photographers and cameramen were first banned from
covering the return of coffins at Dover Air Force Base in
Delaware, the site of the military`s largest mortuary, in 1991
at the start of the first Gulf War.
Images of honour guards carrying flag draped coffins from
the bellies of military transport planes became icons of the
Vietnam War and a graphic reminder of the mounting
casualties.
Gates said that he had ordered a review of the ban over a year
ago.
Bureau Report
