Army Secretary John McHugh has approved the Arlington Cemetery burial of a National Guardsman who had been denied the honor because he was not on active duty when he was killed.
Staff Sgt. Thomas Florich was one of 11 service members killed when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in heavy weather near Pensacola, Fla., in March. While the rest of the crew is qualified for burial at Arlington, Florich’s family was initially denied because he was on training status.
McHugh noted that due to the resource constraints in the Army, guardsmen are more frequently exercising with their active duty counterparts, and deserve the same burial rights.
“When these service members tragically lose their lives while training side-by-side for the same mission in defense of our nation, it is fitting to afford them the same burial privileges,” McHugh said.
