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Spending bill on final arrangements for servicemen OK’d

Thursday, May 26, 2005 | 11:14 a.m.

SUN WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON -- The House on Wednesday approved a Defense Department spending authorization bill that would require members of the armed services to specify who should make final arrangements if they die.

The legislation was introduced by Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., after Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Anderson was killed in Iraq and his divorced parents disagreed on where he should be buried. His mother, Eleanor Dachtler of Las Vegas, wanted her son's body brought back to Nevada.

But the Marine's father prevailed in the dispute because in cases of such disagreement the elder parent is allowed to make the decision, according to Pentagon rules. Anderson was buried in Ventura, Calif.

Servicemen and women are required to designate who should receive financial benfits in case of death, but not who has the final say in burial rights.

"Requiring members of the military to spell out their wishes in advance will provide peace of mind to survivors who will know that it was their loved one, and not a bureaucratic military regulation, who made this very personal decision," Berkley said.

The legislation is not yet part of the Senate version of the Defense bill, but Berkley is lobbying to have it included before the bill is finalized.

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