jamesrage
06-28-2004, 04:14 AM
Army won’t help send group’s medals
By Elizabeth A. Davis
Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —Since 1995, Bob Parker has sent nearly 2,000 honorary medallions to survivors of soldiers, police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
But the Army recently told Parker that it won’t help him distribute the medals any more because they include a reference to a bible verse.
“The denial is based upon the religious content on the medallion. There are some next of kin that may find the inscription offensive to their personal religious beliefs,” Lt. Col. Kevin Logan, chief of the casualty operations divisions, wrote in one of the two letters Parker got from the Army.
The Marines, Navy and Air Force continue to provide Parker with names– but only after asking the families if they want to receive the medallions.
Parker’s nonprofit Organization Fallen Friend has 17 more medallions ready to send including one for Pat Tillman, the football player who quit the NFL to become an Army Ranger and was killed in Afghanistan in April.
Parker, &0, an Army veteran believes all the families should have a choice to accept the medals or refuse them.
“I will not compromise “ Parker said in an interview with The Associated Press, “I told the lieutenant colonel who sent the first (letter) I will go to a higher-up. This will not stop here.”
He says he had never received any complaints about the medallions before and no family has ever returned one.
The gold-colored medallion is inscribed with words “A Fallen Friend,” the service member’s name and “John 15:13,” for the Bible verse “Greater love hath no man than this, That a man lay down his life for his friends.”
It also bears a picture of hands cupped around a bell with the words “Liberty Rings for All Nations” and “United We Stand , Divided We Fall.”
“These people die for a choice. That’s what really broke me up.” said Parker, of Clairfield. “ The families that would like to have the medallions don’t have the choice to say yes or no. They are denying them the very thing that these people are dying for – freedom of choice.”
The military branches provide Parker the names of the soldiers, and he sends the medals to the military to be distributed to the survivors.
An April 27 letter from the Army told him each group wishing to send items to next of kin must seek approval and fill out a questionnaire.
Parker returned the questionnaire, and the Army responded with a May 4 letter denying his application.
A spokeswoman for the Army human resources command, Shari Lawrence, said the Army reviewed its practice of helping people send things to survivors and found some items were inappropriate.
“They should have not been sent in the first place,” she said.
_____________________________
Fallen Friend:
Http://www.fallenfriend.com
After reading this story I asking myself what the hell?Are you atheist so hellbent on removing anything having to do with religion or is it just me?
All because of a reference to a bible verse John 15:13“Greater love hath no man than this, That a man lay down his life for his friends.”The message itself does not state any thing refering to the worship of a god.Yes the message in question is a bible verse but is that any different than a quote from a famous person or a quote from Gandi?This man that is using his free time is not trying to push religion down anyone's throat,nor is he trying to expliot the death of soldiers for an ulterioir motive.Basicly he is saying thanks and we actualy give a **** without trying to exploit your dead realitive's death.I feel the message actually states what most patriots actually thinks about military service.
What do you all think of this,is this man just trying to help comfort the dead soldier's kin or is he in reality trying to shove religion down people's throats?Or it is not the fact he is trying to shove religion down people's throat it is the sole fact that the medallions have a religious verse on it that it deserves to not be distrubited to dead soldier's families?
By Elizabeth A. Davis
Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —Since 1995, Bob Parker has sent nearly 2,000 honorary medallions to survivors of soldiers, police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty.
But the Army recently told Parker that it won’t help him distribute the medals any more because they include a reference to a bible verse.
“The denial is based upon the religious content on the medallion. There are some next of kin that may find the inscription offensive to their personal religious beliefs,” Lt. Col. Kevin Logan, chief of the casualty operations divisions, wrote in one of the two letters Parker got from the Army.
The Marines, Navy and Air Force continue to provide Parker with names– but only after asking the families if they want to receive the medallions.
Parker’s nonprofit Organization Fallen Friend has 17 more medallions ready to send including one for Pat Tillman, the football player who quit the NFL to become an Army Ranger and was killed in Afghanistan in April.
Parker, &0, an Army veteran believes all the families should have a choice to accept the medals or refuse them.
“I will not compromise “ Parker said in an interview with The Associated Press, “I told the lieutenant colonel who sent the first (letter) I will go to a higher-up. This will not stop here.”
He says he had never received any complaints about the medallions before and no family has ever returned one.
The gold-colored medallion is inscribed with words “A Fallen Friend,” the service member’s name and “John 15:13,” for the Bible verse “Greater love hath no man than this, That a man lay down his life for his friends.”
It also bears a picture of hands cupped around a bell with the words “Liberty Rings for All Nations” and “United We Stand , Divided We Fall.”
“These people die for a choice. That’s what really broke me up.” said Parker, of Clairfield. “ The families that would like to have the medallions don’t have the choice to say yes or no. They are denying them the very thing that these people are dying for – freedom of choice.”
The military branches provide Parker the names of the soldiers, and he sends the medals to the military to be distributed to the survivors.
An April 27 letter from the Army told him each group wishing to send items to next of kin must seek approval and fill out a questionnaire.
Parker returned the questionnaire, and the Army responded with a May 4 letter denying his application.
A spokeswoman for the Army human resources command, Shari Lawrence, said the Army reviewed its practice of helping people send things to survivors and found some items were inappropriate.
“They should have not been sent in the first place,” she said.
_____________________________
Fallen Friend:
Http://www.fallenfriend.com
After reading this story I asking myself what the hell?Are you atheist so hellbent on removing anything having to do with religion or is it just me?
All because of a reference to a bible verse John 15:13“Greater love hath no man than this, That a man lay down his life for his friends.”The message itself does not state any thing refering to the worship of a god.Yes the message in question is a bible verse but is that any different than a quote from a famous person or a quote from Gandi?This man that is using his free time is not trying to push religion down anyone's throat,nor is he trying to expliot the death of soldiers for an ulterioir motive.Basicly he is saying thanks and we actualy give a **** without trying to exploit your dead realitive's death.I feel the message actually states what most patriots actually thinks about military service.
What do you all think of this,is this man just trying to help comfort the dead soldier's kin or is he in reality trying to shove religion down people's throats?Or it is not the fact he is trying to shove religion down people's throat it is the sole fact that the medallions have a religious verse on it that it deserves to not be distrubited to dead soldier's families?