U.S. Soldiers carry the remains of U.S. Army Spc. Israel Candelaria Mejias during a transfer ceremony on Dover Air Force Base, Del., April 7, 2009. Mejias died in Baghdad, Iraq, April 5, 2009, of wounds sustained from a mine detonation during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment and attached to a task force with 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Brigade Combat Team out of Grafenwöehr, Germany. (DoD photo by Roland Balik, U.S. Air Force)Remains Of War Dead Dumped In Landfill -- Washington Post
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.
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My Comment: Scatter the ashes at Arlington Cemetery, the National Mall, the ocean .... anywhere else .... but not a landfill.
What was the Dover Air Force Base mortuary thinking?