Matthew Holley, R.I.P.
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Bad Decisions, The War On Terrorism, War
On Nov. 15, U.S. Army Spc. Matthew Holley died in Taji, Iraq as a result of injuries sustained by an IED.
Now, since Holley died fighting for his country, he should be shown every respect we bestow upon our fallen. Unfortunately, the bodies of some of his fellow soldiers are being transported back to their families with no flag draped over them, no greeting by a color guard and in commercial airlines as freight.
Yes, this scenario was very nearly Holley’s fate too. Fortunately, his parents wouldn’t hear of it. Good for them.
John Holley and his wife, Stacey, were stunned when they found out the body of their only child, Matthew, who died in Iraq last month, would be arriving at Lindbergh Field as freight.“When someone dies in combat, they need to give them due respect they deserve for (the) sacrifice they made,” said John Holley.
John and Stacey Holley, who were both in the Army, made some calls, and with the help of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, Matthew was greeted with honor and respect.
“Our familiarity with military protocol and things of that sort allowed us to kind of put our foot down — we’re not sure other parents have that same knowledge,” said Stacey Holley.
The Holleys now want to make sure every fallen hero gets the proper welcome.
To be fair, it sounds like the bodies of these soldiers come into Dover Air Force Base from Iraq with full honors. But for whatever reason, they’re aren’t being given the same treatment on their last leg home.
When the Defense Department was contacted they had no idea why this was going on. Let’s hope this was merely a stupid mistake instead of some bean-counter’s money-saving scheme. Because to think that some families have had to recieve their loved ones from the equivalent of a bodybag baggage claim is pretty heartbreaking.
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2005 and is filed under Bad Decisions, The War On Terrorism, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 11th, 2005 at 6:54 pm
I wonder if secrecy may have something to do with it – that is, if the Army wanted to keep Spc. Holley’s death and/or the specific circumstances of his death out of the view of the media located in Iraq, so they dispensed with the usual customs on the Iraqi end in order to “sneak” the body out of Iraq without attracting the media’s atttention.
Of course, if secrecy is the reason behind this, it raises a whole new set of questions. Was the Army concerned that the Iraq-based media might learn – and publicize – something about the deaths of Holley and others who got the “commercial freight” treatment that could hamper the war effort or jeopardize other soldiers if the enemy found out? If so, did the Army strike the right balance between protecting its living soldiers and giving its fallen ones the honor that they deserved?
December 11th, 2005 at 6:59 pm
OK, strike my previous point. I initially misunderstood what they were saying – I’d thought they were leaving Iraq in commercial freight and then receiving honors once they got to the USA. It’s actually the other way around.
December 12th, 2005 at 11:17 am
Well, whatever the reasons, they aren’t good enough. I sincerely hope this was merely an extremely stupid mistake.
May 26th, 2006 at 10:11 am
Mr. and Mrs. holley,
i am so sorry for your loss. i too serve in the military and i too have been to iraq. i was looking on the internet for my comrades that were taken away from us and found your sons name. i just wanted to express my sympathy for your loss.
matt