Arlington Ladies

[Parabellum]

This moved me when I read about it. I don't think I'd ever heard of the Arlington Ladies before, but it was touching to read about them. It's a group of ladies who go to each funeral at Arlington, making sure that there's someone at every funeral held there. God bless these ladies.

[NoQuarter]

Thanks for the link.

____

As many as 6 funerals in a day...talk about strength.

[Dick Splash]

It's a touching story, but I'm just not sure about what's motivating these women. Having just read about it on the Arlington website, they started doing this in the early seventies for funerals where no family or friends were present. That's a really nice thing. In the U.K. when people die alone, without leaving trace of there being any next of kin, they receive a burial paid for by the government and there is a small service for them too. It's a sad fact to know that people die alone in this day and age, especially in a Western society.

Anyway, for these women to attend funerals where family and friends are present, the cynic in me thinks that the reason for some of them being there, isn't what it seems. There are people in this world that feed off the grief of others, and personally I believe they have no business attending these funerals. I'm sure the U.S. military does all it can for the next of kin, without some stranger turning up and saying, what are potentially, empty words.

I believe this organisation should stick to its roots and for them to attend, in force, funerals with no family or friends present. That, to me, would say so much more.

DS

[Rocky]

If these ladies were unrelated to the Army, I could almost accept that type of cynicism, however reading that linked article, these ladies have lost their own, have felt the pain, and want to help others through that same pain. So, it's more a support mechanism now, than making sure there are no soldiers buried alone.

I think you're off the mark a little on this one DS.

[Dick Splash]

So, it's more a support mechanism now, than making sure there are no soldiers buried alone.

So...just attend the funerals where there's no next of kin. That's how it started, and Arlington's in regular contact with them, so they'll know if anyone's going to be attending or not. Even those that haven't been killed in action.

DS