Pvt. Odell Sharpe, killed during World War II, is finally coming home. The remains of Sharpe — presumed slain on Christmas Day 1944 when he as only 19 — were recently identified from a skeleton found in a foxhole near the Belgian-German border.Now, not so nice:
Now his family is preparing for something long overdue: a funeral.
Three Belgian civilians working for a non-governmental group that searches for lost World War II casualties discovered the remains in September 2003. They found pieces of an infantry soldier's uniform, a skeleton, upper and lower jawbones and dog tags bearing Sharpe's name.
The military did not notify Sharpe's family until more than a year later, after thoroughly analyzing the bones and teeth to make sure they matched Sharpe's medical records.I'm not so sure that holding off on telling the family that you found his dogtags is a very nice thing to do. His parents are dead, and his sister is 71. A year is a big deal when you're 71, could be an eternity if you know what I mean. Wouldn't it have been better to tell the family we found his dog tags and trying to figure out if we found his remains, than wait a year and possibly have the sister die not even knowing they found the tags? Not to mention, sending her the tags immediately would have been the right thing to do, I suspect she would have appreciated having them.
I don't mean to quibble, but this is important. It's a sign of the larger problem with this administration and with our military leaders. There's a callousness to humanity in both of them, and a hubris as well. They know what's best, don't you bother your little mind with the facts, we'll tell them to you if and when we deem you're good and ready. Talk about your nanny state.
