Making Room For Heroes: The Space Problem at Californian Veterans’ Cemeteries

By: Priyanka Deo and David Hodari

From the sidewalk on South Sepulveda Boulevard, it looks as though there are acres of untouched green which separate the street from the Los Angeles National Cemetery in the middle distance.

“People come in from outside and tell me that there’s tons of space,” says Rex Kern, the L.A. National Cemetery Administrator.

Those people are wrong.

Marker sites at the LA National Cemetery give the perception of available space to passersby. Photo Credit: David Hodari

“That space is full of markers,” Kern explains. A marker or headstone is the equivalent of a site without a gravestone. They can also be used for urns.

Veterans who were honorably discharged automatically earn the right to be buried in a national cemetery. Spouses and dependent children receive the following benefits as well:

-Burial in a VA National cemetery

-Continuous care of site

-Opening and closing of a grave

-Burial of cremated remains

-Placement in a columbarium

-Inscription on a headstone or marker

-Burial flag

-Transportation of flower arrangements from committal service to gravesite

-Presidential Memorial Certificate

-Service with military honors

While burial in a national cemetery is a privilege of Americans who were honorably discharged from the armed forces, California’s national cemeteries are running out of space.

The Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood only has a handful of spaces left. Photo Credit: Priyanka Deo

Out of California’s nine national cemeteries, four are currently listed on the Veteran Affairs website as closed for burials. This means that, a veteran cannot be buried at any of four California veterans’ cemeteries if their spouse is not already buried there. The same goes for the vice versa.

The L.A. National Cemetery in Westwood is a prime example. Out of the approximate 77,000 spots containing about 86,000 deceased veterans and beneficiaries (sometimes there will be more than one family member to a spot), fewer than 100 are open.

Similarly, out of over 5,600 niches in the columbarium built in 1942, fewer than 50 remain unfilled.

Spouses and beneficiaries make up a significant proportion of those buried in veterans’ cemeteries. Of the 65,535 deceased that are accounted for by government data, 26.9 percent were non-veterans themselves.

After serving as the director of national cemeteries in Louisiana and Kansas, Rex Kern has been the director since August 2014. Though he tries to not turn anyone down, the cemetery currently only accepts casket burials from those killed in active duty.

Kern himself knows the danger that veterans have faced – he himself served in the first Gulf War. “I was there when they lit the Kuwaiti oil fields on fire,” he said.

So where do all of the remaining veterans and beneficiaries go if they are being turned down for a proper burial?

Even the columbarium, which was built in 1942 is completely full. It contains 5,600 niches plus 42 additional niches reserved for beneficiaries.

As a veteran himself, Kern mentioned that he feels a little daunted by his new job. He does not want to turn people away.

Veteran Evan Bailey, 32, who served in Fort Lewis, Washington between 2002-2004 stated that even though he does not associate strongly with the veteran subculture, it still ‘makes him sad to think of so many people who have died in wars that are buried in those cemeteries.’

This is not news to former director Corporal George Bacon. As one of Kern’s predecessors, Bacon was the cemetery director for the two years until May 2014.

“Before I arrived, none of the directors had determined whether there were spots available,” Bacon said.

Over their tenures, Bacon and Kern remedied this problem, and now Kern himself selects new gravesites by, himself, walking around the vast cemetery.

The LA National Veterans Cemetery is running out of space fast. Photo Credit: Priyanka Deo

“We could add more gravesites in, but that would ruin the uniformity of the cemetery,” said Kern. “We could also add some in near bushes or curbs, but it’s a matter of respect.”

When asked whether special accommodations were made for beneficiary burials, Bacon stated, “Regardless of whether it is a beneficiary or a veteran, it is always first come first serve.

We make no distinction regarding anybody’s status in the community and this holds true for spouses [must have been married at the time of passing] and dependant children as well.”

The choice for Angeleno veterans with living spouses and dependents is stark. Either they register for the nearest open veterans’ cemetery close to 75 miles away in Riverside or go to a non-veterans’ cemetery.

The latter option is expensive. There are only three cemeteries in Los Angeles county which offer burials for less than $2,000. If not buried in a national cemetery, veterans may be eligible for a ‘plot allowance’ if:

-they were discharged for disability incurred/aggravated while serving OR

-they were in receipt of compensation or pension OR

-they died on VA premises.

According to research from the University of Southern California (link), the average burial cost in Los Angeles ranges between $8,000 and $10,000.

At America’s biggest cemetery, Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, casket burials begin at $3,600.

Lynn Badertscher, one of Rose Hill’s family funeral counselors, outlined the discounts his cemetery offers for veterans.

“The discount for veterans is about 10 percent,” the salesman said, “and to be honest with you, the regular discount you get just for showing up to one of our seminars is bigger than that.”

There is, however, good news for current veterans. Although vets cannot reserve cemetery space in advance, the construction of a new columbarium at the L.A. National Cemetery is underway.

This was the result of a 2011 lawsuit against the VA that prevented the VA to put a hold on property transactions. The lawsuit went in favor of the VA and developments are already underway.

The proposed new columbarium will hold approximately 15,000 niches that are all 12×12 inches. This will allow each space to hold two urns; one for the veteran and one for the beneficiary.

According to Rex Kern, it will take roughly six more months to finalize plans and nine months to actually build the structure.

“There are very few people who fought in World War One still alive. We’re about to hit the peak for World War Two and Korean war vets passing away – a lot of them are in their early nineties,” Kern said. “The life expectancy of some of the Vietnam vets is shorter because of Agent Orange.”

Kern stated that this problem will continue to persist. “There will always be veterans and beneficiaries. Eventually, even the new spaces will run out.

For now, though, the new space can not come quickly enough.

For a map of California’s Veteran’s Cemeteries, click here.

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METHODOLOGY

The data was obtained by searching for ‘California Veterans’ on data.gov. The title of the dataset was ‘Gravesite Locations of Veterans and Beneficiaries in CA as of January 2015.’ We did not need to file any FOIA requests for our data.

When initially examining the data set, it was cleaned and organized according to the name of the veteran. This was not of value to the project since the focus was not on individuals. A custom sort was performed using the ‘relationship’ column. This enabled us to see the type of beneficiaries burials in California VA Cemeteries.

We then visualized and created a pie chart on Google Fusion which showed the number of veterans and beneficiaries by type as per the dataset. The chart showed that 71% buried were veterans themselves, and 25.5% were wives.

When searched, multiple articles appeared online stating that the national cemeteries were running out of space. Looking back at the dataset, it was noticed that many of the significant proportion of burials were spouses and beneficiary burials.

From here, two further questions arose. First, how many spaces were allotted to beneficiary burials and did they receive any preferences or special accommodations? Second, due to the lack of space in cemeteries, did beneficiaries still receive the same stature as veterans themselves?

Both of these questions were answered when we interviewed Director Bacon and Director Kern. Spaces were allocated first come first serve and beneficiaries still received the same stature of veterans despite the lack of space. Additionally, it was found that beneficiaries would always be buried next to the veteran if they passed away after.

However, when vetting the data source, a flaw was noticed between the data set and another figure Director Kern provided. The dataset only includes 65,535 entries across all of the national cemeteries in California. Kern stated that there were currently 77,000 spots in the LA national cemetery alone with close to 86,000 buried.

We tried contacting the person who maintained the dataset multiple times. There was no reply. In light of this, we decided that the dataset was still usable. We came to the conclusion after Kern mentioned that many number of those buried at L.A. were from the Civil War onwards and those burials were not recorded comprehensively at the time.

From this we decided that we could not possibly attain a complete data set, but that the one we currently have is relevant and sufficient for a story as it still shows that in addition to veterans buried, a significant number of burials are beneficiaries.

As regards the story itself. We became aware (during the writing of the story) that NBC4 California covered a similar story a few years ago. We see this story as a news update of that, as new developments have occurred.

We reached out to several vets multiple times. There was no response.

Similarly, while we were able to speak to a couple of current soldiers, they would not allow us to use their last names, so we decided not to include them in the article.

Girls vs. Guys; Evolution of Women in Sports Journalism

Female Sports Reporters Face Huge Imbalances in Workspace

MG Montemayor & Priyanka Deo

 

According to the 2013 ASNE Newsroom census, despite the demands for women journalists, in newsrooms today, men make up 64 percent of newsrooms while women make up 36 percent. This means that for every two males, there is one female in broadcasting and reporting. Why is this the case?

Shelley Smith, ESPN reporter, explained that there is a double standard for women in the sports broadcasting industry. She said that to this day, “When a woman makes a mistake, she is doubly wrong.” She is not given the benefit of the doubt like her male counterpart.

Multiple reports all show that despite efforts to achieve more equality in media organizations, we still haven’t come close.

The case is worse in sports journalism. Many are still objectified for their sex appeal rather than being listened to for their knowledge and skills. This means that a woman entering sports broadcasting would need the looks, the knowledge, and the sex appeal to get the job. Anne Marie Anderson stated, “It’s all about the blonde barrel curls. It’s dehumanizing.”

This has been the case since the evolution of sports journalism. Women have been largely absent in the journalism industry for sports. Bille Jean King, Grand Slam tennis champion, was one of the exceptions, advocating for equal rights in sports. The “Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs in 1973 sent a strong message to the entire sports industry for equality. King went on to collect several accolades for her work in championing social change including the Global Mentor for Gender Equality by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “What it does for me is that it reminds me of the responsibility I still have and also, it keeps the fire in the belly going, to focus on it and thank the people before me and try to get the younger ones to carry the baton,” she said.

Title IX was a significant milestone for equal opportunity. Adopted as a federal law in 1972, Title IX stated, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” 

Before 1972, women were not given equal opportunity to participate in sports programs in high school and college programs.

Sports coverage in journalism was the next issue. When interest grew for women who wanted to cover male sports, a lot of credit should be given to women like Christine Brennan, Lesley Visser, and Michele Himmelberg; all of whom endured hardships because of their gender.

“[Women] had to be excellent or else it was going to limit and restrict the opportunities of those who come after them. They were going into NFL locker rooms at a time when there just weren’t any women in there,” said J.A. Adande, ESPN Senior Sports Columnist. 

A lot of things have changed today and locker rooms are no longer an issue, but societal pressures still do dictate roles women reporters are slotted in, such as the ‘pretty’ sideline reporter role. Other restrictions exist in other aspects of sports journalism; live commentary or live analysis having only a handful of women playing active roles. Perhaps this is the reason that there is a lack of interest and/or motivation for aspiring female journalists to follow suit. 

In 2014, the ASNE newsroom census showed that newrooms were 64 percent male and 36 percent female. In 1999, those percentages were by and large the same.

In a study conducted by the Women’s Media Center (WMC), women in sports are considered rare in the industry. Himmelberg agrees with this. “It’s a tough industry and its a constant fight to stay in it.”

Sure, women are making their mark in sports broadcasting: Billie Jean King and Mary Carillo are big names in the tennis world, Shelley Smith and Michele Himmelberg in football, Anne Marie Anderson has made a mark in play by play for PAC-12 college games. Most female broadcasters agree that more female presence is needed in the industry and all of us would like to see that.

Women in sports journalism face more struggles in addition to being taken seriously in their field. Across the globe, sites regularly post slideshows on the ‘hottest women’ in sports broadcasting. A pregnant women? Perhaps a slightly overweight woman? They’re either out or replaced making the field male dominated. Many females in sports are harassed from the athletes they cover, colleagues that work with them, and even fans. A study done by Hardin and Shain (2005) determined that 85% of females working in the sports journalism field feel as though they are not seen as equals because of their gender.

In broadcast looks do matter more for women according to Smith. “It’s a ratings-driven business,” she said, and whatever will bring men to the television set, whether it be a pretty face, will bring in revenue to this multi-billion dollar business.

The saddest thing about these studies is the similarities to the ones that came prior and that it is an on-going battle. Although women have made strides behind the scenes, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

There is still a shortage of women doing sports commentary and play-by-play. Women like Anne Marie Anderson are pioneering this unchartered territory.

“I do play-by-play because not many women do it. It differentiates me with a skillset that not many have,” she said.

And although networks like ESPN are actively making an effort to branch out to hire more women, statistics still indicate that females struggle to find equal footing despite being more present in the industry than ever before. In executive level roles, men still hold the majority and in decision making roles, men still hold the majority. And on camera, the public still seems to trust a man over a woman just because ‘that’s the way it has always been.’

What can be done to change the scenario? And by change, we mean a significant change. Simple. Women need to step up. Himmelberg, Smith, and Anderson are all inspirations because they wake up and overcome these struggles on a daily basis. “There’s no plan B,” explained Anderson. “Because if you have a plan B, you won’t be strong enough to last [in this industry].”

Obama and ISIS Strategy

Daily Times Lahore: Strategy against Islamic State in hand, Obama now must make it work

-This article focuses on Obama’s lack of strategy and claims Obama must now find a way to ‘make it work.’ There is very little content on what Obama actually stated besides the fact that his administration admitted a week ago that there was no strategy.

CSM: Obama to seek public ‘buy in’ for offensive against Islamic State

-This article focuses much more in depth of the Obama administration by describing that Obama plans to increase US involvement to combat ISIS to seek justice for the beheaded journalists. The article also goes into national political coverage by predicting that the plan would be a ‘tough sell’ for voters and lawmakers as it is reminiscent to Bush Jr.’s decision to fight “terror” in Iraq.There is emotional appeal in the article emphasizing that the administration wants to seek justice for the journalists. 

Chicago Tribune: Obama to unveil ‘offense’ to fight Islamic State this week

The Chicago Tribune article (Republican slanted paper) focuses on Obama making a speech just ahead of the 9/11 anniversary unveiling his game plan for combatting ISIS. The article also posts the flaws and criticisms targetted at the president stating that the president went on a golf game to ‘get a break from the press’ minutes after speaking about the beheading of journalist James Foley. The article closed by quoting Obama stating that ‘being president’ is something that does not always come naturally to him: “I should’ve anticipated the optics,” he said, explaining the “theater” involved with being president is “not something that always come naturally to me.” One can tell that this article is a very conservatively slanted paper. 

 

1000 words and 100 words

The CBS article includes videos, pictures, and a detailed account as to who came to the Rivers funeral. The context of this article was favored towards Rivers being a comedian who as the article states, “brought together the worlds of Hollywood, theater fashion and media.” The article also states that Rivers was a role model for women and entertainers in the industry. 

The Washington post article is merely a text lede with a short video of daughter walking to a car to go to Rivers’ funeral. This is a much more objective way of reporting the death of Rivers as it does not appeal to any emotions whatsoever whereas the CBS article shows pictures of people at the funeral, a video of Rivers, and an in depth account of who appeared at her funeral. 

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/joan-rivers-remembered-at-star-studded-funeral/

Last Updated Sep 7, 2014 5:30 PM EDT

NEW YORK – Howard Stern delivered the eulogy, Broadway singer-actress Audra McDonald sang “Smile” and bagpipers played “New York, New York” at Joan Rivers’ funeral Sunday, a star-studded send-off that — like late comedian herself — brought together the worlds of Hollywood, theater, fashion and media.

26 PHOTOS

Funeral for Joan Rivers

 

At a funeral befitting a superstar, the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus sang Broadway hits including “Hey Big Spender” before six-time Tony Award-winner McDonald sang her tribute to Rivers, a champion of theater for decades.
Tributes and reminiscences were delivered by TV anchor Deborah Norville, close friend Margie Stern, columnist Cindy Adams and Rivers’ daughter, Melissa, who spoke about how she respected her mother and appreciated everyone’s support.

“It was uplifting. We were celebrating her life,” said fashion designer Dennis Basso.

Play VIDEO

Joan Rivers’ legacy of laughter

 

Hugh Jackman sang “Quiet Please, There’s A Lady On Stage” at the end of the ceremony and bagpipers from the New York City Police Department played on the streets as mourners filed out of Temple Emanu-El, many dabbing their eyes.

“She would love this. We’ve all said this so many times: The one person who would really think this is the greatest thing ever is the lady who it’s all about, and she’s not here,” said Norville afterward, amid the throngs of well-wishers and sound of bagpipes.
The funeral program included a page with three classic Rivers’ lines printed out: “Can we talk?” ”Who are you wearing?” and “Because I’m a funny person.”

A legion of notables turned out to remember Rivers, who died Thursday at 81: comedians Kathy Griffin, Rosie O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg; colleague and friend Kelly Osbourne; Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick; and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz.

Theater stars Bernadette Peters, Alan Cumming and Tommy Tune were there. Record producer Clive Davis was, too. Fashion designers Carolina Herrera and Michael Kors were in attendance. Stars from TV such as Barbara Walters, Geraldo Rivera, Diane Sawyer, Kathie Lee, Hoda Kotb and Andy Cohen. Late night band leader Paul Shaffer. And moguls Barry Diller, Donald Trump and Steve Forbes.

Mourners had lined up outside the Fifth Avenue synagogue and waited for their names to be checked against a list before entering. A crowd of media stood watch across the street, and fans from as far away as Australia and England lined the streets.

Actress Susan Claassen, who met Rivers in London in 2008 when both had one-woman shows, came from Tucson, Arizona, to honor her friend. “I always like to say that in a world of knockoffs, Joan was an original,” she said.

The comedian detailed in her 2012 book “I Hate Everyone … Starting With Me” that she hoped for “a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action” and “Hollywood all the way.” Instead of a rabbi talking, Rivers asked for “Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents” and “a wind machine so that even in the casket my hair is blowing just like Beyonce’s.” Indeed, her wishes were so important they were printed in the funeral program.

Rivers was a trailblazer for all comics, but especially for women. The raspy-voiced blonde with the brash New York accent was a TV talk show host, stage, film and TV actress, fashion critic, and she sold a line of jewelry.

The cause of death is being investigated. Rivers was hospitalized on Aug. 28 after she went into cardiac arrest during a routine procedure at a doctor’s office. The New York state health department is investigating the circumstances, and the New York City medical examiner said tests to determine the cause of death were inconclusive.

Her publicist said that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to God’s Love, We Deliver; Guide Dogs for the Blind; or Our House.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/national/joan-rivers-to-be-laid-to-rest-in-private-funeral/2014/09/06/693f9656-35f9-11e4-9f4d-24103cb8b742_video.html

September 6, 2014 4:06 PM EDT – Family and close friends are preparing to say goodbye to comedy legend Joan Rivers at a private funeral held at the New York City synagogue where she was a member. (Reuters)

Journalism: Different Ways of Presenting the Michael Brown Shooting in Ferguson

Perhaps some of the most controversial news cases presently going on are the Ferguson, Missouri articles and follow up stories for the killing of teenager Michael Brown. 

From all the multiple sources I have read, the story is presented from a different angle. AP took the angle of street riots and a confrontation with the police chief demanding answers. Huffington Post objectively reported the riots and happenings of the town post Brown’s death. Reuters was also very objective with the story and included images of riots happening. However, Fox News presented the story with racial undertones. They clearly favored the police who are currently being investigated for, well, being racist. Back home in Chicago, the Chicago Sun Times (known for its Democratic stand) presented articles focusing on human rights, dignity, and Brown’s family. In contrast, the Chicago Tribune (Republican) focused articles on the police department and restoring order within the community.

 

About six days ago, The Daily Show completely tore down Fox coverage of Ferguson. In this piece are great examples of how anchors have covered Ferguson in different ways. The video is absolutely brilliant and was the first thing that came to mind when given this assignment. 

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/ufqeuz/race-off

Is Technology Changing Sports Journalism for the Good?

How Sports Journalism Has Changed with Technology

One of the oldest things that go along with human history is games. More organized games slowly evolved into sporting events. Over the past few centuries, large sporting events are a globally recognized part of history. So is journalism. The other thing that has gone along with history is journalism. Without journalism, sports could have never evolved as detailed and recorded accounts of ‘games’ carried on and even changed from decade to decade. So exactly how has journalism affected sport?

Since the 1800s, people depended on their newspapers for the latest updates on their favorite sports teams. Forget the 1800s. Twenty years ago, people depended on their local newspaper for sports. In the last ten years, the Internet has completely changed this dynamic. The Internet brought upon an eruption of sports news reporting as information could be updated quickly and efficiently. Today, this includes live updates, play by play analysis, and commentary streams. Multiple sources also provide p to date information giving the reader multiple perspectives on the same event. Citizen journalism plays a part today as independent bloggers, and sometimes, even the athletes themselves are posting live tweets or breaking their own news via social media sites.

On the flipside of it, technology such as apps, has disrupted even online sports reporting as well as traditional sports reporting. Today, sports readers have a plethora of sources to go that are free and easily accessible. For instance, if one wants live tennis scores, they need not even go on their computer. They can download the Tennis App on their smartphone which gives live updates on the match. As a result, sports journalists face immense competition and pressure to provide original material. This also disrupts financial models of online journalism as less people now turn to Internet articles and rely on social media for sporting events and game day results.