Veterans who served their country honorably and did nothing in their post-military lives to detract from that honor have the assurance that, when they die, they will not be buried next to a spy or someone convicted of treason.
They should also rest assured they won't share space in a national cemetery with a terrorist.As the law now stands, convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh, who has been sentenced to die for killing 168 people, is eligible for veterans benefits, including a veterans' burial with grave site, perpetual care of the site, headstone, a presidential memorial certificate and burial flags.
The law should be changed.
Veterans are now disqualified for benefits only for national-security crimes, but not for murder. McVeigh and others like him should forfeit veterans benefits. Those should be reserved for men and women who have served honorably and lived honorably.
Burial in national cemeteries should be considered an honor, not a right. The significance of being buried in a national cemetery would be tarnished by the inclusion of people convicted of heinous crimes.
A bill currently in Congress would disqualify people who have been convicted of a state or federal crime that carries the death penalty, whether or not the sentence is death. Such legislation is needed and should be acted on quickly.
McVeigh was sentenced to die last week on his June 2 conviction for murder and conspiracy in the worst terrorism act on U.S. soil. The bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, killed 19 children along with 149 adults.
His crime nullifies the service he performed in the Army during the Gulf War. He is a veteran but not one who should be honored.