Washington – The burial at sea of terrorist Osama bin Laden raised some eyebrows around the world, but for the U.S. Navy, it’s a routine exercise.
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To fulfill the final wishes of service members, the Navy commits to the sea an average of 20 deceased every month — veterans, retirees and other U.S. citizens, Cmdr. Danny Hernandez, a Navy spokesman in the Pentagon, said Monday.
U.S. vessels take the remains along with them and do the ceremony while the ships are on their scheduled deployments.
Some people request a specific ship for the burial ceremony. The Navy has burial at sea coordinators in Norfolk, Va., San Diego and Hawaii who work with the next of kin, but the designation of a ship depends on the vessel’s schedule, location and ship availability.
On Monday Bin Laden’s body was placed in a “weighted bag,” an officer made some religious remarks and the remains were put on a flat board and tipped into the North Arabian Sea off the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, Pentagon officials said at a news conference.
The usual Navy burials at sea are similar, though they include an honor guard that fires shots into the air and bugler that plays TAPS. The burials include caskets or urns with ashes released from the ship’s side, as well as ashes scattered from aircraft over the seas.
Larger ships with more space have done multiple ceremonies while on tour, like the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, which did 14 burials on Memorial Day 2008 off the coast of Hawaii.
Because the ships are on duty, no family members can attend the service. But the vessel’s commanding officer within 10 days sends the next of kin a letter telling the date and time of the burial, photos or video of the ceremony, a flag and a chart showing the longitude and latitude of where the burial took place, according to the Navy’s funeral manual.
Eligible for such funeral service are active duty members of all service branches, retirees, veterans, their dependents, civilian marine employees of the Military Sealift Command and other U.S. citizens determined eligible for “notable service or outstanding contributions to the United States,” the rule book says.
Very suspicious
Burial at Sea. Osama Bait Laden!
I heard that Osama’s dead body was encased in a bloody pig’s carcass and then dumped into shark infested waters. That is the usual way Muslims are punished when killed by US Troops.
I am quitting seafood for a while!! I just don’t know what I will be getting on my plate, BP oil, some japanese radioactive debris, or Osama’s ingrown toe nail..
well , they did say they were going to give him a traditional buriel , i think while making `tahara` he slipped and went to the bottom.
Now he “sleeps with the fishes” as the godfather said.
The photo released after he was shoot was photoshoped and they threw his body in the sea. It’s more than suspicious. We can ghave serious doubts about the whole story.
“Bin Laden’s . . . remains were put on a flat board and tipped into the North Arabian Sea”
Is that what they call “water boarding”?
Are there any tshuvot on burial at sea? Are there any cases where it is permissible?
I hope the barracuda that eats him doesn’t get sick.
Since when do Muslims bury their dead in the ocean?
‘Made some religious remarks’ – like down ye go, me ol’ buddy. Keep ye goin’ till ye meets the big fire.
Once they release the location where they tipped his “weighted” body bag – you’ll have 1000 of muslim divers going in to try to find him & dig him up and make a shrine – or they’ll make a shrine in the ocean. Eitherway, they should have publicly disposed of the body in a way he cant be dug up.