Iraq Veteran Arthur Guise VA National Cemetery Denied Burial

You may be thinking that as a murder, this veteran does not deserve to be buried at a National Cemetery. You may be thinking that since he did serve this country and risked his life for it, that was enough for you. The trouble is, there is no easy answer.

Here is a reminder of what happened.

'He saw a lot in Iraq. It changed him': Father of shooter in York County murder-suicide

The man who authorities said committed suicide after he shot a woman at a York County bar last night likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following military tours in Iraq, according to his father.

Lenard Guise of Mount Holly Springs said Arthur Guise, his son, did two tours in Iraq during his time in the Army.

"I think that affected him," Guise said. "He was going to some counseling to help. He saw a lot in Iraq. It changed him."

Here is the latest.

Iraq War veteran denied burial in national cemetery after murder-suicide
York Daily Record
Written by Dylan Segelbaum
Jul 29, 2015

A request from the family of an Iraq War veteran accused of shooting his ex-girlfriend and then killing himself outside a bar in the Dillsburg area for him to be buried in a national cemetery has been denied.

"It's a very tiny, tiny, tiny occurrence that, unfortunately, it does happen now and again," said Michael Nacincik, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration. "We have to follow the law, and that's what we did in this case."

On July 2, Arthur Guise, 31, of Dillsburg, walked into Flapjack's Restaurant and Pub, and, without saying a word, shot and killed Sharon Williams, 33, of Mount Holly Springs, before killing himself, the York County Coroner's Office has said. Both died at the bar, which is off Route 15 in Carroll Township. Under federal law, Nacincik said, veterans who commit a capital crime are barred from being buried in a national cemetery. Though he did not have exact numbers for denials, Nacincik said the administration handles the burials of 125,000 veterans per year.
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Guise wanted help and tried to get it. Now he is dead and so is Sharon Williams. Folks are recovering from the shock but some are still grieving. While you are deciding what should be the right way to bury this veteran, we should also be wondering what was the right way to take care of him before he went from risking his life twice in combat into pulling the trigger of someone he used to care about.