I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 269 
To require the Department of Defense to grant access to accredited members 
of the media when the remains of members of the Armed Forces arrive 
at military installations in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 7, 2009 
Mr. JONES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To require the Department of Defense to grant access to 
accredited members of the media when the remains of 
members of the Armed Forces arrive at military installa-
tions in the United States. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fallen Hero Com-
memoration Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. MEDIA ACCESS TO ARRIVAL CEREMONIES FOR 
MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES WHO 
HAVE DIED ON ACTIVE DUTY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Members of the Armed Forces swear an 
oath to support and defend the Constitution of the 
United States. 
(2) The Freedom of the Press is protected by 
the First Amendment to the Constitution and is one 
of the fundamental freedoms enjoyed by Americans. 
(3) In each generation, members of the Armed 
Forces have selflessly given their lives to secure the 
freedoms Americans enjoy today. 
(4) Americans must never forget the sacrifice 
that was made, and continues to be made, by mem-
bers of the Armed Forces on behalf of the United 
States. 
(5) During the Vietnam War, images of arrival 
ceremonies and flag-draped caskets of members of 
the Armed Forces appeared regularly on television 
and in print news sources. 
(6) In 1985, the media covered a ceremony at 
Andrews Air Force Base for members of the Armed 
Forces killed in El Salvador. President Reagan at-
tended the ceremony and pinned Purple Heart med-
als on the flag-draped caskets. 
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(7) The practice of permitting media coverage 
of the return of the remains of members of the 
Armed Forces killed overseas was changed by the 
Department of Defense in 1991, during the Persian 
Gulf War. Department of Defense policy stated that 
‘‘Media coverage of the arrival of remains at the 
port of entry or at the interim stops will not be per-
mitted . . .’’. 
(8) However, in 1996, the media photographed 
the arrival and transfer ceremony at Dover Air 
Force Base for the remains of Commerce Secretary 
Ron Brown and 32 other Americans killed when 
their plane crashed in Croatia. President Clinton 
was present to receive the flag-draped caskets. 
(9) In 1998, the media photographed the ar-
rival ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base for 
Americans killed in simultaneous bombings of 
United States embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. 
(10) In 2001, the Department of Defense re-
stated the ban on media coverage at Dover Air 
Force Base and at Ramstein Air Force Base. How-
ever, in 2002, the media was permitted to photo-
graph the transfer of flag-draped caskets at 
Ramstein Air Force Base that carried the remains 
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of four members of the Armed Forces killed in Af-
ghanistan. 
(11) In 2003, the Department of Defense ex-
panded the no-media policy, stating that ‘‘There will 
be no arrival ceremonies for, or media coverage of, 
deceased military personnel returning or departing 
from Ramstein Air Base or Dover Air Force Base, 
to include interim stops . . .’’. 
(b) ACCESS.—The Secretary of Defense shall grant 
access to accredited members of the media when the re-
mains of members of the Armed Forces arrive at military 
installations in the United States. 
(c) ACCREDITATION.—The Secretary of Defense may 
establish the policy for accreditation of members of the 
media for purposes of granting access under subsection 
(b). 
Æ 
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