Scandal over Arlington grave mix-up causes outrage among Americans

 

[caption id="attachment_11431" align="alignleft" width="293" caption="Tomb_of_the_Unknown_Soldier_8 at the Arlington cemetery - wikimedia commons"][/caption]

Carol Forsloff -A lover dead in battle is painful for those left behind as Odetta sang in Anthem of the Rainbow; it's another hell for families of the fallen to find gravesides of war dead mixed up. The song, the story tells the pain. 






6,000 headstones at Arlington cemetery may have been mixed up, according to reports.

The
problem was discovered a month ago, but at that time it was estimated
the mix-up only involved 211 graves.  Now it has been learned it is over
6000.

 The higher figure was revealed on Wednesday during a Senate hearing and investigation.

People are angry because this confusion at Arlington represents a symptom of disrespect.

“We
now know that the problems with graves at Arlington may be far more
extensive than previously acknowledged. At a conservative estimate,
4,900 to 6,600 graves may be unmarked, improperly marked, or mislabeled
on the cemetery’s maps.” said Senator Claire McCaskill.  McCaskill heads
up the Senate committee conducting the investigation.

Arlington
is just across the river from the nation's capitol.  It contains the
graves of many of the nation's honored soldiers and revered leaders.
Among the estimated 300,000 graves are those of the assassinated
President John F. Kennedy and his two brothers Robert and Edward.

Fresh graves are being dug on an ongoing basis.

Investigators
found remains had been buried in some graves listed as empty.  Others
had headstones but no remains, according to a Chicago press release.

John
Metzler, who was superintendent of Arlington for 19 years,  accepted
responsibility for what happened and said complex paperwork created the
problems.

“Personally it is very painful for me
that our team at Arlington did not perform all aspects of its mission to
the high standard required,” he said.  

Metzler and his deputy, Thurman Higginbotham, were asked to retire last month when the mix-up was first discovered.
Members
of Congress from both political parties expressed outrage at what had
happened, as did members of different military branches, both active and
retired.

The American Legion expressed disappointment at the time that “our nation’s heroes are treated in such an undignified manner”.