Delta Force Soldier laid to rest at Arlington

[Peter1469]

Delta Force Soldier laid to rest at Arlington (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/11/18/in-quiet-ceremony-delta-force-soldier-killed-in-iraq-buried-at-arlington/)

MSG Wheeler's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery was not announced until it had already started. As a member of the Army's Delta Force it was not open to the public or the press.

MSG Wheeler was the first American combat casualty in the war against the Islamic State. He was killed in the recent rescue mission which resulted in the release of over 70 prisoners who were to be executed by IS.


The elite Delta Force soldier who became the first American service member killed in action in the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State militant group was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday in a quiet ceremony.

https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_908w/2010-2019/Wires/Images/2015-11-12/AP/Iraq_Hostage_Rescue_Soldier-09d37.jpgArmy Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, a member of Delta Force, was killed in Iraq on Oct. 22. (U.S. Army)
The burial of Army Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, 39, was disclosed by the office of Sen. Jim Inhofe (R.-Okla.) as it began, but was kept off the online daily funeral schedule (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Daily-Funeral-Schedule) that the cemetery maintains. That is in keeping with Delta’s reputation for being quiet professionals, and follows intense scrutiny of the Oct. 22 operation in which Wheeler was killed.

[Gypsy]

It's always sad when a soldier dies. My condolences to his family.

[waltky]

Arlington Nat'l. Cemetery runnin' outta burial space...
http://www.politicalwrinkles.com/images/smilies/eek.gif
Army: Change to Burial Eligibility Would Expand Life of Arlington
2 May 2017 | WASHINGTON -- Extending the lifetime of Arlington National Cemetery will likely require further restrictions on which service members and veterans are eligible for burial there, the Army wrote in a report released to Congress.


Tightening the eligibility requirements -- already the strictest of any national cemetery -- is one of several options that the Army outlined in its report, which asks Congress, veterans organizations and the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs for urgency in making decisions about changes to eligibility or the size of the cemetery. Arlington is expected to reach capacity in about three decades if nothing changes, meaning most veterans from recent wars wouldn't have the option to be buried there. "Arlington National Cemetery is at a crossroads," reads the report released Thursday. "When one thinks of ANC, it is natural to envision it stretching on forever -- not only in physical space, but in time. The truth is that ANC is running out of space. ANC and those it exists to serve must... confront the reality that, at some point in the near future, the cemetery will no longer continue to operate as it does today."

The Army, which manages the cemetery, has warned of space issues for years. Demand at Arlington is higher than at the 135 national cemeteries managed by the VA. Approximately 400,000 people are buried at Arlington, and it conducts about 7,000 funeral services each year. Even with the opening of a 27-acre expansion this fall, the cemetery is expected to reach capacity in the early 2040s. Congress passed legislation last year requiring the Army to produce the report provided Thursday, which cemetery officials said they hoped would start a national dialogue about the cemetery's future. The report lists seven options for changing eligibility requirements at Arlington, the most stringent being to allow only Medal of Honor recipients and service members killed in action. Officials anticipated the change would allow Arlington to remain active for the next two centuries.


http://images03.military.com/media/news/service/arlington-national-cemetery-ts600.jpg
Arlington National Cemetery

The cemetery now inters approximately 200 service members killed in action or on active duty each year, and fewer than 800 service members have received the Medal of Honor since World War II. Cemetery officials are anticipating backlash about the idea, stating in the report that some of the ideas to tighten eligibility would "exclude a large number of veterans," "disenfranchise certain veterans' groups" and "be viewed negatively by the public." The cemetery is now open to service members who die while on active duty, retired military and certain other veterans and family members. "[T]he status quo is not a viable option if the goal is to extend ANC as an active cemetery well into the future," the report reads.

In a statement Thursday, the Army wrote it had not chosen a preferred option for how to extend the cemetery's use. But in the report, it called one of the eligibility changes the "most feasible, acceptable and suitable." The option calls for stricter criteria for in-ground burials while maintaining eligibility for above-ground inurnments as it is now. For example, in-ground burials could be restricted to service members killed in action, who die on active duty or receive certain awards, while above-ground services would remain open to veterans who meet length-of-service requirements, according to the report. Officials estimated the option would allow the cemetery to remain active until the middle of the next century. Under law, the Secretary of the Army has the authority to decide most eligibility requirements for Arlington, and changing eligibility wouldn't require legislation, according to the report.

MORE (http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/05/02/army-change-to-burial-eligibility-would-expand-life-arlington.html)

[Croft]

A man who gave his life to help save the lives of 70 defenseless people. A hero. I just wish the John McCain's and others who helped supply ISIS and the other scumbag groups could have died instead.

[jimmyz]

A soldiers honor well deserved. RIP soldier!