Remains of 274 US troops dumped in landfill: report

[hnumpah]

Remains of 274 US troops dumped in landfill: report

AFP

The US Air Force dumped the cremated, partial remains of at least 274 troops in a landfill before halting the secretive practice in 2008, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

The procedure was never formally authorized or disclosed to senior Pentagon officials, who conducted a review of the cremation policies of Dover Air Base -- the main point of entry for US war dead -- in 2008, the Post said.

Nor was the dumping ever disclosed to the families of the fallen troops, who had authorized the military to dispose of the remains in a respectful and dignified manner, the Post said, citing Air Force officials.

The newspaper quoted officials as saying that a precise count of the remains disposed of at a Virginia landfill would require searching through the records of 6,300 troops whose remains have passed through Dover since 2001.

An additional group of 1,762 remains -- which could not undergo DNA testing because they were badly damaged or burned -- were also disposed of in this manner, the Post said, citing the Air Force.

Defense officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Last month investigators said they had found "gross mismanagement" at the US Air Force mortuary, with body parts lost and remains mishandled.

After allegations from whistle-blowers, an Air Force probe found that two "portions of the remains" of fallen troops had been lost and uncovered other problems at the morgue.

New procedures have been put in place at the mortuary and the commander at the morgue, a colonel, together with two civilian officials were disciplined over the episode but not sacked.

The Dover affair echoes a scandal that erupted last year at Arlington National Cemetery, the country's hallowed ground for war dead. Investigators there uncovered cases of misidentified remains and mismanagement.

Following an Army probe, the conduct at Arlington is now the subject of a criminal investigation.

http://news.yahoo.com/remains-274-us-troops-dumped-landfill-report-081234306.html

[BT]

The officers in charge down the line should be sacked.

[hnumpah]

The officers in charge down the line should be sacked.

I don't feel that's quite enough. The officers involved should face general courts-martial, imprisonment, and dishonorable discharge, and civilians involved should face criminal charges. Firing alone isn't enough.

[BT]

Remember this story from 2001-2002  I think this was near your original neck of the woods if memory serves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-State_Crematory

[BSB]

I'm not convinced yet that what they did was all that wrong.


BSB

[Plane]

Sea story time.


     While I was in the Navy, a ship I was not on made the news. A burial at sea went awry because the casket refused to sink. The Captain realised that the casket and body bag inside had a lot of trapped air and therefore buoyancy. He came to the odvious solution , he ordered the casket shot full of holes.

     Commanding officers do not like to make the papers like this.

     Soon my ship was given the responsibility of a burial at sea, our Captain personally corresponded with the morticians and was assured that the coffin would have holes drilled in it before delivery.
      The ceremony was solemn and short, the casket with holes was slid off of a plank , splashing into the water eight feet below. Where it floated.
       The casket was wooden.
       Our solution was to lower a boat equipped with a bit of cable , a massive steam valve and a sharp rod. Soon the massive (and expensive) valve was made fast to the coffin and the body bag was punctured , respectfully. The casket sank and the newspapers were not called.
       A few months later we were again given the responsibility of a military funeral, this time with the widow in attendance. Corrispondance with the undertakers assured our commander that there was no body bag and that the metal coffin would be sealed but would have a row of holes drilled in each side. The cerimony was solemn and very short . At the beginning of the ceremony a seaman in dress uniform had to unseal the duct tape that was over all the holes, the old salt inside had not been salted suficiently and had been moldering in a grave for a few months, so a miasma of decay enveloped the buryal party assureing all that there was indeed no sealed body bag. At least this time there was no excess bouyancy problem.

       The last time I witnessed a buryal at sea there was much more experience and time for planning . There was a full set of mourning familys for two deceased Navy Vets.  This time there was certain to be no problem with odor or floating,the remains were creamated.
        When the time came the cerimony was dignified and crisply performed , at the last two junior officers in resplendant white uniform , white shoes and swords, stepped forward and lifted the two urns in unison , walked in step to the windward side and poured the cremains into the ocean , mostly. It would have been better for them to pour over the leeward side , much of these old sailors landed on the white pants , shoes and deck the young officers were standing in and on. Last I saw these guys were trying to remain dignified while sweeping with their hankercheifs the ashes rom the deck twards the scuppers.

       I want to be buryed at sea. I might be depressed having just died and all, so if I was lucky enough to get buryed by a crew like mine the comedy would certainly do my salty ghost a world of good.

      Unfortunately it isn't as easy to get buryed at sea by the USN as it used to be, I wonder why?

[BSB]

I was going to be buried at Arlington. Then it came to light that they aren't too sure who is buried where? Now I'm the one who is not too sure.


BSB

[Xavier_Onassis]

Unfortunately it isn't as easy to get buryed at sea by the USN as it used to be, I wonder why?

====================================
I think it is because they decided to get fancy and use coffins. The traditional burial at sea was to sew up the body in a piece of sailcloth, weight him down, and throw him  overboard after some ceremony. A coffin is not really suited for burial at sea.

[BSB]

Or the bottom half is covered because it's damaged, meaning they didn't cyber attack it out of the sky and bring it down for a nice soft landing.

Time may tell, or it might not, or the truth maybe the obvious. That being, they do have a very sensitive piece of US equipment, and it isn't good for us at the moment.

Apparently this drone, an RQ-170, can, according to a NYTs article I read, "..linger undetected for hours at 50,000 feet..."


BSB

[BSB]

Ha, ha, the above post belongs in the drone thread.

BSB