Widower Tells Congress to Keep Working on Arlington Problem

I previously blogged about the grave mix-ups at Arlington National Cemetery. Retired Air Force Col. William Koch Jr.’s wife, Jean, died in 2005, but he didn’t know her location until last year. Jean was supposed to be buried where Koch would eventually join her, and that’s where Koch visited her headstone. But Jean’s remains were actually buried elsewhere, so a new headstone was recently put on her true resting place.

Some people believe that control of the cemetery should be turned over to the Department of Veterans Affairs. On Thursday, Koch told his story at a House Armed Services Committee hearing, leaving lawmakers wondering the same thing. Koch, who believes the VA couldn’t possibly do a worse job of managing the cemetery than the Army, told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday to “keep after ‘em.” 

Larry Shaughnessy, ‘Keep After ‘Em,’ Widower Tells Hearing on Arlington Problems, CNN, Apr. 15, 2011.