There is a photo with this article and, here is an excerpt:

The Pentagon's ban on photographing soldiers' coffins at US military bases dates to the first Gulf War in 1991. The US Government, concerned that the ban was often ignored, reissued it shortly before the start of the war in Iraq. It is now strictly enforced.

The Pentagon says the ban is to protect families of the dead from unnecessary trauma.

White House press spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday that President Bush believed "we should honour and show respect for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our freedoms".