Change In Military Funeral Protocol?

Q: Did Obama order the military to drop the words “on behalf of the president of the United States” when presenting the flag to the next of kin at funerals?
A: A chain email that makes that claim is wrong. Spokespersons for the Defense Department and the armed forces say that no change was ordered.

FULL QUESTION
This letter has been circulating lately. Is it true?

Dear Sean,
Today I was incensed at the conclusion of a traditional Serbian-Orthodox funeral for my beloved 85 year old uncle, Daniel Martich, who proudly served in the US Army during The Korean Conflict. During the committal service at a Pittsburgh cemetery the local military detachment performed their ritual, then folded and presented the American Flag to my aunt.
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As I’m sure you have witnessed during military funerals, a soldier bends to one knee and recites a scripted message to a surviving relative that begins ‘On behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation, I wish to present you with this flag in appreciation for your husband’s service …’. However, today the dialogue was ‘On behalf of the Secretary of Defense and a grateful nation …’ After the service I approached the soldier who presented the flag to my aunt to inquire about the change in language. His response was “The White House notified all military funeral service detachments to immediately remove ‘the President’ and insert ‘the Secretary of Defense’. I couldn’t believe what I heard and the soldier smiled and said, “You can draw your own conclusion sir but that was the order”. He, too, was ashamed of what he was required to say.
This president has taken off the gloves. My only response to this endless cesspool of Anti-American rhetoric dripping from his mouth is to borrow a phrase (with one minor change) uttered by another temporary Washington resident living in government housing: “Today for the first time in my adult life I was ASHAMED of my country”. I did not serve in the military but my love of country parallels that of people like my late uncle who bled Red, White and Blue. As a second generation Serbian-American who’s heritage produced many patriotic military men and women who fought for freedom both in The United States as well as in the former Yugoslavia (most recently in Kosovo against the slaughter of Serbs by Muslim extremists) I implore you to make the American people aware of this little-known or, at least, publicly acknowledged fact.
May God Bless you and your family during these difficult times. Your voice of reason is a welcome change from the insanity plastered across the country by the liberal media. Keep up the great work and thank you for your service to our country.
Sincerely,
John G. Martich
Weirton, WV

FULL ANSWER

This email, claiming that the White House ordered a change to the language used during the presentation of burial flags at funerals with military honors, has gone viral. It has landed in our inbox dozens of times, and it’s making the rounds on social networking websites as well. But it’s not true.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Defense told FactCheck.org that the agency has not received, published or directed any change recently in the wording used during funeral services with military honors.

No Change in Protocol

The email claims that an unidentified soldier said that members of the military assisting in funerals were directed by the White House to cease referring to the president when presenting the burial flag to a deceased veteran’s next of kin.

Email excerpt: As I’m sure you have witnessed during military funerals, a soldier bends to one knee and recites a scripted message to a surviving relative that begins “On behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation, I wish to present you with this flag in appreciation for your husband’s service … .” However, today the dialogue was “On behalf of the Secretary of Defense and a grateful nation … .” After the service I approached the soldier who presented the flag to my aunt to inquire about the change in language. His response was “The White House notified all military funeral service detachments to immediately remove ‘the President’ and insert ‘the Secretary of Defense.’ I couldn’t believe what I heard and the soldier smiled and said, “You can draw your own conclusion sir but that was the order”. He, too, was ashamed of what he was required to say.

But Maj. Monica Matoush, a spokeswoman for the Defense Department, told us that no change has been ordered. “While there have been some inconsistencies at the unit level in reciting the appropriate verbiage, neither the Department of Defense nor the services have received, published or directed any recent change,” Matoush said.

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