WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced that the Fallen Service Member Respectful Return Amendment has been included in the Senate Department of Defense Reauthorization Bill, which passed the Senate today. The amendment would require the Department of Defense (DoD) to deliver the remains of fallen military personnel to the military or civilian airport nearest to the final destination chosen by the family. 

 

“When our soldiers make the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, it is unthinkable to inflict more needless emotional, financial, and physical hardship on these families,” said Senator Brown, a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “The very least we can do is to ease the path for these families as they confront the loss of their loved one.”

 

“The Department of Defense’s practice of flying service members’ remains to major airports is especially hurtful to rural families, who often live a great distance from a major airport,” Stupak said. “Rural America is disproportionately represented in our Armed Forces and it does not make sense for military families to be forced to drive a great distance to meet the remains of their loved one.”

 

Currently, the Department of Defense is free to use any combination of air, rail, or road transportation to bring a body of a fallen soldier home, leaving some rural families to drive hours if they want to meet the remains of their loved one when they arrive at the airport. The Stupak-Brown amendment would relieve this burden on the families by assisting rural military families, who often live in areas that are served by regional airports but are many hours away from a major airport hub.  

 

Stupak crafted the legislation after hearing from families in his district whose loved ones were killed in Iraq and who had difficulty persuading the DoD to transport the service member’s remains to smaller airports. After Stupak’s amendment was included in the House Department of Defense Reauthorization bill, Stupak asked for Brown’s leadership to help pass the measure through the Senate.   Stupak and Brown said they will work together to ensure the amendment remains in the final conference report.

 

“I am pleased to see that my legislation has been included in the Department of Defense re-authorization bills for both the House and Senate,” Stupak added. “While I regret that I even had to bring this legislation to the attention of lawmakers and the American people, I look forward to seeing this provision signed into law.”

# # #