Have Army 1LT Richard Collins, III laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery
Have Army 1LT Richard Collins, III laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery
The Issue
Army Lieutenant Richard Collins, III was murdered on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2017 by a follower of “Alt-Reich: Nation,” a white nationalist hate-group. Collins, a senior, was set to graduate from Bowie State University in a matter of days. Upon graduation he would be on his way to his first duty station as a Soldier. An ROTC student at BSU, Collins had participated in an officer commissioning ceremony prior to his tragic death.
While a plaza in his memory has been erected on the campus of UMD at the site where his life was brutally taken, the Collins family is still feeling the pain of their son not having a peaceful eternal rest as an Army officer. After years of enduring the criminal trial, subsequent verdict and dedication of the memorial, Dawn and Rick Collins, his mother and father, find themselves still fighting for an appropriate end to their pain and heartbreak. They request their son receive an 'Exception To Policy' which will allow 1LT Collins eternal rest in Arlington National Cemetery, despite being declared a Soldier not on active duty.
We must collectively seek the attention of the Department of Defense, Arlington National Cemetery and the Biden administration so as to bring this to the end they rightfully deserve. Richard Collins III had signed his commissioning oath. He WAS/IS a Soldier. He has been posthumously promoted two officer ranks since his death at the hands of a ‘domestic enemy,’ a homegrown terrorist who sought to kill a Black man. The Army undoubtedly sees him as an officer as Richard Collins holds the rank of First Lieutenant while at his grave. This can only be accomplished if he was first seen as an officer of good standing.
The Collins family deserves peace after this five-year battle. 1LT Richard Collins, III ought to be interred in Arlington National Cemetery and be afforded the recognition through an official Exception To Policy. This soldier’s life was cut short days before he was to report to his duty station and serve this nation. Please sign this petition to urge the Department of Defense and President Biden, do what is right in the name of 1LT Richard Collins, III and his family.
-Thank you.
Twitter - @DawnRickCollins
3,048
The Issue
Army Lieutenant Richard Collins, III was murdered on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2017 by a follower of “Alt-Reich: Nation,” a white nationalist hate-group. Collins, a senior, was set to graduate from Bowie State University in a matter of days. Upon graduation he would be on his way to his first duty station as a Soldier. An ROTC student at BSU, Collins had participated in an officer commissioning ceremony prior to his tragic death.
While a plaza in his memory has been erected on the campus of UMD at the site where his life was brutally taken, the Collins family is still feeling the pain of their son not having a peaceful eternal rest as an Army officer. After years of enduring the criminal trial, subsequent verdict and dedication of the memorial, Dawn and Rick Collins, his mother and father, find themselves still fighting for an appropriate end to their pain and heartbreak. They request their son receive an 'Exception To Policy' which will allow 1LT Collins eternal rest in Arlington National Cemetery, despite being declared a Soldier not on active duty.
We must collectively seek the attention of the Department of Defense, Arlington National Cemetery and the Biden administration so as to bring this to the end they rightfully deserve. Richard Collins III had signed his commissioning oath. He WAS/IS a Soldier. He has been posthumously promoted two officer ranks since his death at the hands of a ‘domestic enemy,’ a homegrown terrorist who sought to kill a Black man. The Army undoubtedly sees him as an officer as Richard Collins holds the rank of First Lieutenant while at his grave. This can only be accomplished if he was first seen as an officer of good standing.
The Collins family deserves peace after this five-year battle. 1LT Richard Collins, III ought to be interred in Arlington National Cemetery and be afforded the recognition through an official Exception To Policy. This soldier’s life was cut short days before he was to report to his duty station and serve this nation. Please sign this petition to urge the Department of Defense and President Biden, do what is right in the name of 1LT Richard Collins, III and his family.
-Thank you.
Twitter - @DawnRickCollins
3,048
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Petition created on June 27, 2022