House Passes Stupak Amendment To Speed Delivery Of Troop's Remains
The U.S. House of Representatives late last night passed an amendment, offered by Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee), which would require the Department of Defense to deliver the remains of fallen military personnel to the military or civilian airport nearest to the final destination chosen by the family. The amendment passed the House Wednesday as part of the Department of Defense Reauthorization bill and is based on legislation, the Fallen Service Member Respectful Return Act, which was authored by Stupak.
“The practice of the Department of Defense to only transport service members’ remains to a major airport rather than the airport nearest them imposes a burden on the family and friends of deceased service members when these families should instead receive our support,” Stupak said. “I am pleased my colleagues voted to pass my amendment, which will relieve military family members of this burden.”
Stupak said that changing this small regulation would ensure that families, friends and local veterans groups would have the opportunity to meet the remains of their loved ones when they arrive, instead of having to travel long distances to the nearest major airport in order to meet and then transport the fallen hero. Currently, the Department of Defense is free to use any combination of air, rail, or road transportation to bring a body home, leaving some families to drive hours if they want to meet the remains of their loved one when they arrive at the airport.
“Losing a loved one in military service is a terrible blow for any family,” Stupak continued. “While we cannot do anything to lessen the pain of such a loss, we can and should work to ensure that the family has the opportunity to honor and bury their loved one without any unnecessary complications or difficulties.”
The amendment is designed especially to help rural military families, who often live in areas that are served by small airports but are many hours away from a major airport hub.
“Rural Americans disproportionately serve in our Armed Forces and are disproportionately carrying the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Stupak said. “Those families who lose loved ones in service to their country deserve our deepest respect and gratitude and this amendment will ensure our government treats them with the proper respect.”
Stupak crafted the legislation after hearing from families in his district whose loved ones were killed in Iraq and who had difficulty persuading the Department of Defense to transport the service member’s remains to smaller airports.
