Friday, July 29, 2005

Jackson Free Press | Barbour Doesn't Attend Miss. Soldier Funerals

I guess he has more important things to do in "supporting our troops". Maybe he'll call a(nother) special session in their honor.

"Seventeen Mississippi National Guardsmen — 37 total soldiers with Mississippi ties — have been killed, and state politicians have recently found themselves faced with decisions about how to handle services for soldiers they may have voted to send to war. Some say the funeral is private, but others say it is a public official's obligation to attend.

Gov. Haley Barbour attends visitations but does not attend funerals. Barbour has attended visitations for six soldiers and awarded medals to the families of two more soldiers killed in action.

... Barbour attended visitations for Spec. Bryan Barron, 26, and Spec. Danny Varnado, 23, both of Gulfport, Staff Sgt. Larry Arnold, 46, of Carriere and Sgt. Terrence Lee, 25, of Moss Point, all recently killed in Iraq.

A spokesman for Barbour said 11 of the 37 soldiers were killed before Barbour took office in January 2004. The war began in March 2003. Since then, 1,782 U.S. servicemen have been killed in combat.

Barbour and other state leaders say they still support the war effort.

Republican U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, who voted for and still supports the war effort, opts to send letters and make phone calls to the families of slain soldiers, instead of attending the service or visitation."

2 comments:

Jas N Smith said...

I think attending the visitation is a much better thing for the family than to have him at the funeral. I think it is more respectful and allows the family to mourn without having to cowtow to the guv at the funeral. I can't believe that I am sticking up for Hambone. Now Lott on the other hand...

Polly said...

i don't think it is wrong to go to the visitation, but a sitting governor is not exactly like joe blow off the street showing up. particularly at the funeral of Guardsmen who technically serve under the Governor himself.