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The Fight For Full Military Honor Burials

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U,S. flags are planted at grave sites at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, ahead of the Memorial Day weekend in 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
U,S. flags are planted at grave sites at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, ahead of the Memorial Day weekend in 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Thanks in part to the efforts of Kanda Fletcher of Ann Arbor, Michigan, former prisoners of war and Medal of Honor recipients are now eligible for full military honor burials at Arlington National Cemetery.

But the move comes too late for Fletcher's father. Her dad, Army private Robert Fletcher, survived three years as a prisoner of war during the Korean War and is buried at Arlington; however, he didn't qualify for full military honors, which include a horse-drawn caisson, an escort platoon and a military band.

Fletcher lobbied to change that and an amendment to do so was included in the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Trump last month. Host Tonya Mosley speaks with her.

This segment aired on January 17, 2020.

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