It is a very emotional issue, and I hope our President makes the right decision—one which will be criticized, regardless.

And I know you thought from the other day I was attacking Democrats with my posts but I too think after having lived thru Viet Nam that all modern wars have become someones political mess. That was my point and my only point. Both sides of the isle use them to further their political agenda and I fear would do so even at the expense of the honor of those returning from the battlefield.

The death of a soldier, sailor, marine, or airman is political. Our politicians decide when our Armed Forces are placed at risk, and the decision of when they face combat is partly strategy, but partly political as well. If you keep the bodies from sight; then it is a political statement. If you do not; then it is a political statement as well. It is impossible to take the politics out of it.

Wearing a uniform is a personal statement, not a political one. Even with a voluntary service, each man or woman makes a decision every day to get up and put that uniform on. It isn't, as some would make it, that every member agrees with policy. It's that every member has the personal honor and integrity to live up to their obligation regardless of their politics.

The problem I have with releasing pictures of remains is that there is no way to ensure that the political message behind the public use of the images would be the one that the deceased would want. Even if the families are granted controlling rights, that could never be guaranteed. This is the horrible greatness of freedom: People will not always use their freedom responsibly, but they remain free to do so, nonetheless.

Beyond the personal statement of service, there is the political truth of it. The honor of wearing a military uniform lies in the defense of freedom, even when it is misused. We do not get to pick and choose for which freedoms we serve. We embrace them all, and to the fullest limit of their exercise.

All of this is to say that there is no middle ground. Either the photos are kept secret or they are public, for good or for bad. This, too, is a freedom for which we all served and swore to defend to our last breath. That some were called on to surrender that breath should be remembered. If there is dishonor in the act of so doing, then it is the undying dishonor of those who choose to render it.

Let our fallen be seen. They died without our eyes to witness them. The least we can do is give them the respect of not looking away on their final trip home.

My wife just read my post (quite an honor for me) and had a similar recommendation:

Photos/videos of individual “returning home” ceremonies should only be published with the permission of the family.

Photos/Videos of groups of heroes returning should only be permitted,—by law!— to be used ony for non-political purposes, with stringent penalties for those who violate such a rule.

Doable? Enforceable? I don't know

As in my previous comments, this is also my concern. Any public images will be invariably used to make political points, and not necessarily in a respectful manner.

I would favor a system where images are made available to the soldier's families, who then would hold authority over their distribution. This would make the images of many coffins or large groups of coffins unavailable to the public, but I don't see another way to respect the family's privacy.