Monday, May 30, 2011

American Veteran Grave Flags in Tripoli

 
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American Military Attache Brian Linvill, US Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz and his wife Annette stand by the American flags they have placed at the graves of the remains of the US Navy sailors from the USS Intrepid at the Old Protestant Cemetery in Tripoli last Memorial Day, 2010.

2 comments:

George said...

Is a US military repatriation ceremony consistent with the religious practices of those buried sailors? I thought the early 1800's Calvinist Protestant funerals were much simpler and avoided national symbols. Over the centuries the descendants of those sailors and US military forces had the opportunity to repatriate those bodies but never did, or even seem to care. What has changed?

William Kelly said...

Hi George, for one they weren't Calvinist Protestants. Somers was a Quaker. The captured American sailors who buried them identified the graves so they could be found and properly buried later. The sister and family of Richard Somers requested his remains returned and the family today still requests his repatriation, and the citizens of Somers Point most vets support them. The family of first officer Henry Wadsworth (uncle of Longfellow) also want his remains returned. You seem to be the one who doesn't care. Happy Memorial Day.