Dover test

Posted by ESC on October 21, 2003

DOVER TEST - ".The Pentagon has previously acknowledged the effect on public opinion of the grim tableau of caskets being carried from transport planes to hangars or hearses. In 1999, the then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Henry H. Shelton, said a decision to use military force is based in part on whether it will pass 'the Dover test,' as the public reacts to fatalities..." Dover Air Force Base in Deleware has the military's largest mortuary, according to a Washington Post article. From "Curtains Ordered for Media Coverage of Returning Coffins" by Dana Milbank, Tuesday, October 21, 2003

• Fixing typo ESC 23/October/03