James P. Davis
115 Duval Lane
Edgewater, MD 21037
(410) 956-4079
January 6, 1999
Thomas Bratten
Maryland Veterans Commission
Room 110
Federal Building
31 Hopkins Plaza
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Dear Mr. Bratten;
Over the past several months there have been several articles, and numerous letters to the
editor of The Capital, Annapolis, MD, concerning the burial of American veterans and the
Maryland Veterans Cemetery at Crownsville. While the focus of these comments has been the
lack of military honors being rendered to these fallen heroes, there has also been an
underlying current concerning poor treatment of the families by the staff at Crownsville
and an appearance of neglect at the facility. These same subjects also come up
periodically in discussions by groups of veterans. Several friends of mine have had
relatives interred in other cemeteries simply based on the reputation that Crownsville has
received.
The honors traditionally given to those who have served this Nation, especially in times
of crisis, have, as we all know, been severely curtailed. One can understand that with our
ever shrinking Department of Defense (DOD), the necessary active duty personnel just no
longer exist to provide a full funeral detail for each family requesting it. Even scaling
the size of the detail down to three, leaves an excessive demand on the active forces. The
action taken by the State of Maryland to provide resources from the National Guard is
admirable. The addition of these personnel, to the active forces and the veteran's
organizations will hopefully give the family of a deceased veteran some form of honor
guard. However it should be noted that the veteran community is, in many cases getting to
the age that many VFW and American Legion Posts are beginning to have a hard time fielding
the requisite personnel. The other major source of veterans is from the Vietnam era. The
Vietnam, and later veterans can assist in rendering honors. However their availability
will often be limited to weekends, as they have not yet reached an age that permits them
to retire.
Congress has directed that DOD, with assistance from the VA, provide at least a three
person honor guard. These agencies, along with the major veterans organizations, have
already begun meeting to develop the necessary coordination to accomplish this mandate.
Hopefully they will be able to come up with a plan of action that, in conjunction with the
funeral industry, will insure that all veterans receive some form of funeral honor, if
requested.
The major areas of concern regarding the Crownsville Cemetery appear to be staff related.
These complaints range from a poor appearance of the facility to what has been described
as rude and/or inappropriate behavior toward the family. Several letters have related to
being told "to keep the service short, and clear the chapel quickly." Others
have reported having to find their own flag or just taking one from a pew. While flags are
normally provided by the VA through the funeral parlor, to cover the casket at the funeral
home, there must be a mechanism to insure that every veteran interred in a veteran's
cemetery receives a flag, even if this must be done by the cemetery staff in the event
that a funeral director fails to perform his duty. This service must be provided in a
manner that shows proper respect for the deceased and the family. Every contact that the
veteran's family has with the cemetery, likewise, must be done in a proper professional
manner.
While everyone has an occasional "bad hair day," there can be no excuse for a
veteran's family receiving anything but the finest treatment from government employees on
the day of the veteran's funeral. This is the one time that every veteran is due full,
proper and final recognition for his sacrifice and service to the nation. This country can
give him no more and owes him nothing less. When stories abound concerning behavior that
borders on rudeness by employees of a Veteran's Cemetery, and there are no reports of
investigations, or corrective actions, I get concerned. When one looks at the various
scandals that have rocked the veteran community over the past several years (Larry
Lawrence is a prime example at the National level), one realizes that the only way to
reassure the survivors of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and other skirmishes and conflicts,
is to insure that there is no hint of a problem. If a situation is detected, be it an
employee of a cemetery, a funeral director, VA Employee, or even a veteran's family,
immediate action must be taken that:
- Resolves the problem, or misunderstanding, preferably on the spot.
- Corrects the misunderstanding, or problem.
- Prevents any recurrence of the misunderstanding, or problem.
- Is given wide dissemination through the media, relevant government agencies and
organizations that support the veteran community, or of which veteran's are members. There
is nothing wrong with press releases as long as they are totally true.
There are several actions that should be considered, ranging from the training
government employees, to increasing the awareness in the funeral industry of veterans
concerns. Back-up systems may be required and are not that difficult to establish. An
example involving a cemetery (veteran [State or Federal] or private with a veteran
section) would have the cemetery manager notify either the nearest military casualty
assistance officer, or the Maryland National Guard, as soon as the cemetery is notified of
an upcoming interment. There should be one office in the State that serves as the focal
point. This office should have a "1-800" number, and would be used by funeral
directors, casualty assistance officers, the VA, Veteran's organizations and the
cemeteries. I would not make this number available to the general public. A simple call
from any one should start an automatic process of notification and confirmation.
Ideally when the cemetery calls it will serve as a confirmation that the funeral director
has already started the ball rolling. If the cemetery is the first to call, there is still
time to inquire of the funeral director regarding the desires of the family and to notify
the appropriate authorities of any honors requested. If a veteran's organization is
involved, then their call should answer any questions about rendering honors, or other
grave side activities, and provide an opportunity to insure that all parties are
coordinated as to time and place.
A simple contact system, by telephone, would also insure that any special requirements are
met (handicap assistance, cemetery chapel, honor guard, etc.). Telephone logs must be
required of the casualty assistance officer(s) and the cemetery. These logs must record
the name of every organization contacted, to include the name of any individual with which
contact is made. The paperwork submitted by the funeral director, along with a copy of the
veteran's DD214, should also have space for recording the names of persons contacted at
both the cemetery and the casualty assistance office, along with any pertinent remarks.
I realize that the primary burden for insuring that all goes well rests on the funeral
director. This does not, however, release the cemetery, or the United States from any
responsibility to insure that the deceased veteran is properly honored and his family
given all due respect. There must also be recognition for those funeral directors that
"go the extra mile". Likewise, if a funeral director fails to perform his duty,
he too should receive recognition.
I do not know the job requirements for employment at a veteran's cemetery. However it
might be helpful if there was a requirement that each employee be an honorably discharged
veteran. This is not to include these people in any ceremonial duties, but to help insure
a connection between the family of the veteran and the staff of the facility. Simply put,
there is an unspoken bond between those who have served that simply does not exist between
veterans and non-veterans.
The cemetery manager should have on hand sufficient copies of the proper protocols for
military funerals so that he can provide this information to any veteran group or funeral
director upon request. This could be as simple as photo copies of the chapter of the
Army's FM 22-5, Drill and Ceremonies, relating to funerals. I am sure that cemetery
managers would not like to store and lend rifles for use by firing parties. However small
quantities of blank ammunition could be kept on hand to assist veteran's organizations.
Considering that the maximum number of rounds required for a funeral is 21, there should
not be any major problem with storage or security.
The cemetery manager should also have a list of contacts with the various veteran's
organizations, as well as buglers that are willing to help in rendering the appropriate
honors. These services must be available to support burials taking place in private, as
well as Veterans Cemeteries. When it comes to honors for a deceased veteran, there must be
a simple, "One Stop Shopping" approach that insures that the country lives up to
its commitment.
I recently participated in a grave side memorial service conducted by the Annapolis
chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America for a World War II veteran and am happy to say
that from an appearance standpoint, I was not unhappy with the Crownsville facility. The
cemetery was clean, neat and orderly. I personally had no contact with the staff and to
the best of my knowledge did not see anyone officially connected with the facility. This
should not be taken in any negative way, I was there as a friend of the family and not
looking for, or intending to speak to, any employee. After the adverse publicity, I was
pleasantly surprised. If this is an indication of new management, it should be publicized.
In fact, anything that can honestly be used to counter the negative publicity that the
Crownsville facility has received should be emphasized. The news media does not go out of
its way to find good news, but it does respond to press releases, especially when they
affect local residents. The veteran's newsletters are always looking for positive news.
Again spread the word, include names and telephone numbers of key contacts. If the veteran
has the name and phone number of the casualty assistance officer with his military papers
there is less of a chance for things to fall through the cracks.
When I started this, I did not intend that it would be so long. These suggestions and
observations are not intended to be harsh criticisms, but suggestions for improvement and
to negate the criticisms that have been leveled specifically at the Crownsville facility.
I know that veterans can be harsh critics, but we are also understanding.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.
Sincerely
James P. Davis
MAJ, Infantry
USA, Retired
cc: The Honorable Togo West
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
The Honorable Paris Glendenning
Governor, State of Maryland
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