Marion Pellicano Ambrose
Recently DRL posted a letter from a veteran who was upset that the wording of the presentation of the flag at his uncle’s military funeral was changed. (Click here to go to the orginal post) DRL checked with Snopes before posting and it was listed as “Undetermined”. Since posting, we’ve heard from several people who were concerned that this was a rumor. Since we are committed to voicing the opinions of ALL our readers, I did some research on the post. This is what I found.
Summary of the eRumor: The message describes a first-hand account from a man who attended the funeral of his uncle, a U.S. Army Korean War combat veteran. The writer said that he knew that when the flag was ceremonially folded and presented to the family the presenter would normally say something like "On behalf of the President of the United States" we thank you for the faithful service of your loved one. At this funeral, however, the presenter substituted "President of the United States" with "Secretary of Defense." The writer later asked the presenter about it and was told that there had been a change in the protocol and that "The White House notified all military funeral service detachments to immediately remove 'the President' and insert 'the Secretary of Defense."
The Truth:
The email is authentic and TruthOrFiction.com communicated with the writer, John G. Martich Weirton who said this happened at a Pittsburgh cemetery at the funeral of his uncle, U.S. Army Korean War Veteran Daniel Martich. A spokesperson for U.S. Army Public Affairs Department told TruthOrFiction.com that there has not been any official change in the protocol of presenting the flag to the family of a member of the military who has died.
