Military Lost Track Of Remains Of War Dead

[Richard]

Saw this on the evening news.

Richard

Military Lost Track Of Remains Of War Dead
Reuters, 8 Nov 2011

Investigators revealed on Tuesday that the military's main mortuary mishandled remains of war dead, losing track of body parts twice and wrongfully removing a limb of a Marine.

The Air Force investigation into the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware is likely to add to questions about treatment of America's fallen troops a year after a scandal broke at Arlington National Cemetery over the mishandling and misidentification of remains.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, the chief of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel -- which reviewed the probe -- lambasted the Air Force for a "failure to acknowledge culpability." It also criticized it for waiting too long to notify families of the fallen troops involved.

Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz, while accepting blame on behalf of his service, rejected that criticism. He also defended a decision not to fire anyone over the affair and noted that disciplinary action was taken against one military officer and two civilians.

"You should have no doubt about how seriously we took the allegations," Schwartz told a news briefing at the Pentagon.

Asked whether anyone might still be dismissed upon further review, Schwartz responded: "While their performance did not meet standards, this was not a deliberate act."

The OSC, however, alleged there was a "pattern of negligence, misconduct and dishonesty" and questioned the message sent by keeping employees on the payroll.

It also noted that the mortuary director at the center of the allegations fired one of the whistle-blowers, was accused of retaliating against the other two and fired a mortuary inspector who cooperated with the investigation.

STANDARDS NOT MET

Dover is hallowed ground for the U.S. military as the main entry point for returning American war dead. Schwartz commended its employees, civilian and military for their usually careful handling of remains of more than 6,300 Americans since 2003.

"Nonetheless, this is one area where the standard of performance is perfection," Schwartz said.

The Air Force investigation centered on events at Dover between 2008 and 2010 and turned up only a handful of cases of mishandled remains. Schwartz acknowledged he could not certify with certainty "that prior performance met our standard of perfection," suggesting other mishaps were possible.

In one case disclosed in the investigation, mortuary staff severed a Marine's left arm because they were unable to fit the limb into his uniform -- something they needed the family's permission to do. In other instances, the mortuary lost track of the partial remains of Army and Air Force service members.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he was deeply disturbed to learn about "questions involving the possibilities" of mishandled remains and said he supported the investigation's findings. He commended the Air Force for what he said was a thorough response to the allegations.

"Let me make very clear to the families of our fallen heroes that every step will be taken to protect the honor and dignity that their loved ones richly deserve," Panetta said in a statement.

He announced an independent review of overall current operations at the Dover Port Mortuary, which will be led by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nat...,6948803.story

[akv]

This is a repulsive travesty of a sacred obligation

Remains of war dead dumped in landfill


The Dover Air Force Base mortuary for years disposed of some dead troops’ body parts by burning them and dumping the ashes in a Virginia landfill, a practice that officials have since abandoned in favor of burying the remains at sea.

The Dover mortuary, which is the main point of entry for America’s war dead, sent remains to the landfill from 2003 until 2008, according to Air Force officials. The manner of disposal was typically withheld from the relatives of fallen service members. The disclosure comes in the aftermath of several federal investigations into mishandling of remains at the mortuary.

The military mortuary that receives America's war dead and prepares them for burial lost portions of human remains twice in 2009, prompting the Air Force to discipline three senior officials for "gross mismanagement." (Nov. 8)

 Dysfunctional management, misplaced remains and contracting problems have been found in investigations into Arlington Cemetery.

Air Force officials acknowledged the practice Wednesday in response to inquiries from The Washington Post. They said the procedure was limited to portions of body parts that were unable to be identified at first or were later recovered from the battlefield, and which family members had indicated could be disposed of by the military.

Lt. Gen. Darrell G. Jones, the Air Force’s deputy chief for personnel, said the body parts were first cremated, then incinerated, and then taken to a landfill by a military contractor. He could not explain why both cremation and incineration were necessary, but likened the process to disposing of medical waste.

Jones also could not estimate how many body parts were handled in this way. “That was the common practice at the time and since then our practices have improved,” he said.

An Air Force document shows that the landfill was in King George County, Va. Officials with Waste Management Inc., which operates the landfill, said it was kept in the dark about the origin of the ashes. “We were not specifically made aware of that process by the Air Force,” said Lisa Kardell, a spokeswoman for the company.

The Dover mortuary changed its policy in June 2008, Jones said. Since then, the Navy has placed the cremated remains of body parts in urns that are buried at sea.

Asked if it was appropriate or dignified to incinerate troops’ body parts and dispose of them in a landfill, Jones declined to answer directly. “We have recognized a much better way of doing things,” he said. “Let me be emphatic: I think the current procedures are better.”

On Tuesday, the Air Force acknowledged that the mortuary had lost a dead soldier’s ankle and an unidentified body part recovered from an air crash; had sawed off a Marine’s arm so he would fit in his casket; and had improperly stored and tracked other remains.

The Air Force disciplined three mortuary supervisors after an 18-month investigation, but has not fired any of them, despite calls from lawmakers and veterans’ groups for tougher action.

“What happened at Dover AFB exceeds on many levels the nationwide anger that resulted from reports of mistreated wounded at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2007 and reports of lost or misplaced graves at Arlington National Cemetery,” said Richard L. DeNoyer, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “You only get one chance to return our fallen warriors to their families with all the dignity and respect they deserve from a grateful nation — and that mortuary affairs unit failed.”

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, who earlier had commended the Air Force for the “thoroughness” of its investigation, backed away from that stance Wednesday. His spokesman, George Little, said that Panetta was leaving “open the possibility for further accountability” and that “there is no excuse for this kind of incident to occur.”

Under military culture and regulations, the armed services have a sacred obligation to care for fallen troops and their families. All troops killed overseas return to Dover in flag-draped transfer cases and are honored in what the military calls a “dignified transfer” ceremony.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...M6M_story.html

[Snaquebite]

I am so pissed...I want to hunt down the folks responsible for this, skin them and leave them outside for the critters, bugs an ants...this is frigging unbelievable.

[mangler]

Originally Posted by Snaquebite

I am so pissed...I want to hunt down the folks responsible for this, skin them and leave them outside for the critters, bugs an ants...this is frigging unbelievable.

I'll help. I can't believe this. After the investigation they still let the people responsible keep their jobs? What fucking bullshit.

[Snaquebite]

Interview with parent...

http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/weekly...parents-anger/