Female WWII pilots barred from Arlington National Cemetery

[ramalamading 0]

News: "Female WWII pilots barred from Arlington National Cemetery"

"The ashes of World War II veteran Elaine Harmon are sitting in a closet in her daughter's home, where they will remain until they can go to what her family says is her rightful resting place: Arlington National Cemetery..."

Link: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f299805c3ff04bb28761a62f74006fb3/female-wwii-pilots-barred-arlington-national-cemetery

My opinion: The media will try and turn this into a sexism thing. It's not. Space at Arlington is limited, and should be reserved for those who deserve it most - actual in-theater combat veterans. If you make exception for women who ferried planes around the country, then what other exceptions will you have to make? What about those quarter-million merchant seaman who ferried supplies across oceans, risking enemy torpedo attacks? What about the servicemen who loaded boats in ports? Men who served stateside? There's not room for all of them. You have to draw the line somewhere. Given that space is limited, you make the requirements narrow. Yeah, the WASPS were great, and performed a valuable service. So did many others. But they did not face the enemy. They deserve a nice burial in a veteran's cemetery if that's what they want, but not in Arlington...

[jakee 1,271]

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should be reserved for those who deserve it most - actual in-theater combat veterans.

Why do they deserve it most? Any women in the WASP were volunteers who chose to serve their country to the maximum extent they were allowed to at the time by taking on a difficut and dangerous role. Many actual in-theater combat veterans would be conscripts who didn't even want to be there.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[AirCav 0]

They did a great service to our country however they were not in the military. They were civilian contractors. My vote would be no.

[DiverMike 5]

They were civilians, but according to Wikipedia, " President Jimmy Carter signed legislation #95–202, Section 401, The G.I. Bill Improvement Act of 1977, granting the WASP corps full military status for their service."

However, none were eligible at the time of their service to receive any of the following the following decorations that would qualify for an inground burial:

Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross (Air Force Cross or Navy Cross)
Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star
Purple Heart

So I voted no.

For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

[jakee 1,271]

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However, none were eligible at the time of their service to receive any of the following the following decorations that would qualify for an inground burial... So I voted no.

Which is fine, but since the real world question isn't about inground burial both the poll and your answer are kind of irrelevant.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Boomerdog 0]

Here are the requirements.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Funerals/Scheduling-a-Funeral/Establishing-Eligibility/Ground-Burial

[BIGUN 1,098]

IMO: Arlington is for the most reverent of American Heroes.

Doing what you volunteered to do and remaining CONUS - does not qualify - Male or Female.

There are more avenues to take than to be heels dug in.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=national%20cemetery%20in%20maryland&es_th=1

And, I don't agree with the discrimination that could preclude future female patriots (i.e., Jessica Lynch - one of the criteria is POW) from being buried at Arlington - now that Combat Arms has opened up.

Just my .02

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[jakee 1,271]

Boomerdog

Here are the requirements.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Funerals/Scheduling-a-Funeral/Establishing-Eligibility/Ground-Burial

That is a set of requirements.

The discussion would be better served if you looked at the correct set of requirements.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[jakee 1,271]

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Doing what you volunteered to do and remaining CONUS - does not qualify - Male or Female.

Why doesn't volunteering for the most useful and most dangerous job you are qualified and permitted to do not qualify as heroism just because it means you won't be directly involved in facing enemy fire?

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IMO: Arlington is for the most reverent of American Heroes.

You'll probably want to lobby for them to change the rules then because it's far from restricted to them, whatever your definition of them is.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[BIGUN 1,098]

Best to stay on your side of the pond for this one.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[jakee 1,271]

Well the interesting bit. I have no real interest in this topic at all but 5 minutes of casual research this morning have apparently given me more knowledge about the rules of Arlington than the American posters who really do have strong opinions on the right course of action.

When people get really serious about a situation they clearly don't understand it always makes me wonder why.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[billvon 2,464]

>Why doesn't volunteering for the most useful and most dangerous job you are
>qualified and permitted to do qualify as heroism just because it means you won't
>be directly involved in facing enemy fire?

It certainly qualifies as heroism.

Peter Gold, a medical student in New Orleans, recently saw an armed man dragging a woman down the street. He intervened. The man shot him and he fell. The man tried to shoot him a second time, but his gun jammed and he fled. The woman was unharmed. He will, fortunately, recover.

He's also a hero. He also doesn't belong in Arlington.

[BIGUN 1,098]

Your five minutes would have been better spent writing to the prime minister to fix what you got wrong over there

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[jakee 1,271]

BIGUN

Your five minutes would have been better spent writing to the prime minister to fix what you got wrong over there

Right, because every other 5 minutes of my day is too full to do that. Just like yours is.

You must be a real cynical fella wasting your only free 5 minutes arguing with me on here instead of lobbying congress or rescuing kittens from trees or in some other way making a genuine difference in the world. With every 5 minutes of your day.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Stumpy 256]

Here's the criteria for above ground inurnment which I believe is their request:

".......most veterans, who have at least one day of active service for other than training and an Honorable Discharge, are eligible for above-ground inurnment."

From the original story, it sounds like the issue is a lot to do with the fact that it was granted (for over a decade) but now suddenly the right has been revoked.

Never try to eat more than you can lift