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jimnyc
10-19-2017, 10:39 AM
I wonder why? Why would someone care to do this, to offend fallen soldiers and their families like this? There is NO REASON anyone can remotely claim the guns can be any type of issue. Please, they are part of a memorial. THIS one needs to be fixed and placed back. Pulling down memorials of different types and claiming they somehow offend is one thing (and ridiculous) - but now into cemeteries? This needs to stop - and now.

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Ohio Veterans Outraged After VA Removes Battlefield Cross From Cemetery Because It Depicts a Gun

Veterans are outraged after learning that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ordered the removal of memorials to fallen soldiers merely because they featured a "realistic replica" of a firearm. On Wednesday, Congressman Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) told PJ Media at least one memorial has been returned and he is drafting legislation to prevent such removals in the future.

"The veterans organizations are madder than hell," Elton Boyer, president of the 555th Honors Detachment, told PJ Media. "Am I mad? I certainly am. It's very frustrating."

The 555th Honors Detachment was started in 2000 to help organize funeral services at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman. The cemetery was ordered to take down the Battlefield Cross about six weeks ago, but put it back up on Tuesday.

Boyer, who also serves on the advisory committee for the cemetery, told PJ Media about plans to melt down over 100,000 empty cartridges from blanks fired at military funerals to craft a permanent Battlefield Cross. That project is still on hold.

"There's quite a history and it has a real meaning," Boyer added.

“The Battlefield Cross is the truest representation of a fallen hero with his boots, inverted rifle, helmet and Dog Tags," Congressman Renacci, who is running for governor in Ohio's 2018 election, told PJ Media. "War is not butterflies and rainbows, and it needs to be presented as a tribute to their sacrifice in the way in which the Veterans see fit.”

This particular form of monument dates back to the Civil War, as a means of identifying the bodies on the battleground before they would be relocated to cemeteries. The boots, rifle, helmet, and dog tags were personal items from the soldier buried beneath them, and served as a reminder of who he was.

Today, the Battlefield Cross is a means of showing respect for the dead among the members of the troop still living. It serves less as a means of identification and more as a method of paying tribute to those who gave their last full measure of devotion on the battlefield.

Bryan Bowman, director of veterans outreach for Congressman Renacci, told PJ Media that Diana Ohman, executive director of the National Cemetery Administration's Midwest District, ordered the removal of Battlefield Crosses about six weeks ago. He forwarded an email confirming that the crosses were removed from at least three cemeteries: Ohio Western, Ft. Custer, and Abraham Lincoln.

Rest - https://pjmedia.com/trending/ohio-veterans-outraged-after-va-removes-battlefield-cross-from-cemetery-because-it-depicts-a-gun/

NightTrain
10-19-2017, 10:55 AM
I read an article yesterday that said the VA quickly reversed itself and put back the removed memorials. Apparently someone within the agency misinterpreted regs.