Jan. 22, 2024 Press Release … Sen. Daines called out Biden’s VA for disrespecting Montana veterans by sending a letter to VA Secretary McDonough after their directive to remove honorary medallions from veterans’ headstones across Montana. The medallions honored WWII veterans who served in the First Special Service Forces (FSSF).
“For years, FSSF veterans were buried in VA cemeteries in Montana. They are remembered for their special service with a medallion located on their headstone. Now, the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), citing longstanding official policy that medallions are prohibited on VA purchased headstones, has ordered removal of these symbolic medallions. The reasoning is that they would prevent preserving the appearance and facilitating the maintenance of them. Many Montana veterans and their families find it outrageous that a small medallion would in any way diminish the appearance of a headstone or prevent maintenance. The application of this NCA directive reeks of bureaucratic excess that does nothing but cause more issues than it fixes.”
“Thus, I request that you rescind the current directive requiring the removal of these medallions. Additionally, in order to provide transparency to the many veterans demanding answers as to why service members headstones were defaced, I request that the NCA provide a briefing to Congress as to why this directive was given, why it appears to be selectively enforced and what concrete steps will be taken to ensure such action does not occur again.”
