Air Force Retaliated Against Dover Whistleblowers

Probe Says Air Force Retaliated Against Dover Whistleblowers -- The Hill

Air Force officials at Dover Air Force Base retaliated against whistleblowers who came forward about the disposal of deceased service members' remains into a landfill, a U.S. Office of Special Council (USC) investigation found.

The report says three officials at Dover’s Port Mortuary retaliated against four whistleblowers over the course of 17 months in 2009 and 2010, and it recommends the Air Force discipline the officials.

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More News On Probe That Says Air Force Retaliated Against Dover Whistleblowers

Investigators conclude that Air Force punished Dover morgue workers who blew whistle -- Washington Post/AP
More Woes for Officials at Mortuary for Military -- New York Times
Report: Air Force punished whistleblowers -- UPI
Investigation: Air Force punished Dover whistleblowers -- Stars and Stripes
Probe: Air Force punished morgue whistleblowers -- CBS/AP
Probe: Air Force illegally punished Dover whistleblowers -- MSNBC
Air Force punished whistle-blowers for exposing mishandling of the fallen -- RT

The Ashes of America's War Dead Dumped In A Landfill

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?

Dover Scandal Over Handling America's War Dead Deepening: News Roundup

Dover Embalmer Objected To Cutting Marine’s Arm -- Washington Post

James G. Parsons Sr. was a military autopsy embalming technician working at the Air Force’s Dover mortuary when, on Feb. 2, 2010, he was assigned to prepare the body of a Marine who had been killed by a buried bomb in Afghanistan a few days before.

He had “extensive trauma” to his lower legs, Parsons later recalled. “Some of his lower legs were missing. He had extensive trauma to his left arm.”

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More News On The Scandal Over The Handling Of America's War Dead

Pentagon panel to take closer look at the Dover morgue where body parts were lost in 2009 -- Washington Post/AP
Air Force admits incidents of 'gross mismanagement' at Dover mortuary -- CNN
Air Force Officials Disciplined Over Handling of Human Remains -- New York Times
Dover Air Force Base is nation’s latest military site to be accused in scandal -- Washington Post
Military Lost Troops' Remains -- Wall Street Journal
Air Force morgue lost body parts from war dead -- AP
Air force morgue lost 'portions' of US war dead -- AFP
Air Force Punishes Officials For Mishandling Soldiers' Remains -- Atlantic Wire
Staff at US air force base 'lost body parts of dead servicemen' -- The Telegraph
Dover Air Force Base 'lost US troop remains' -- BBC
Air Force Leaders Take Responsibility for Dover Errors -- US Department of Defense
Air Force Admits Losing Remains At Dover Mortuary -- NPR (Audio)
Mishandling of remains sparks anger -- Washington Post
Dover mismanagement requires congressional action, some lawmakers say -- Washington Post
In Dover scandal, questions of accountability -- Washington Post

President Obama Travels To Dover To Pay Tribute To Fallen Soldiers

From left, President Barack Obama, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Daniel V. Wright and Army Brig. Gen. Michael S. Repass salute as a team of soldiers carry the remains of Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin during a dignified transfer ceremony on Dover Air Force Base, Del., Oct. 29, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Jason Minto

Obama Pays Tribute To Fallen Troops At Dover Air Force Base -- CBS News

President Obama made an unannounced trip to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, today to pay tribute to the 30 U.S. troops killed over the weekend in Afghanistan.

Two transport planes brought home the remains of the 30 servicemen, who were killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down on Saturday. The crash was the deadliest single loss for U.S. forces in the decade-long war. Due to the catastrophic nature of the crash, the remains are still being identified. The Armed Forces Mortuary Affairs Office at Dover will make a positive identification.

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More News On The Return Of 30 US Troops At Dover Air Force Base

Obama honoring US forces killed in Afghan attack -- SFGate/AP
Obama Cancels Schedule to Meet Returned Bodies of Fallen Troops -- National Journal
Obama attends ceremony for fallen Afghanistan troops -- USA Today
Obama honors return of fallen troops from Afghanistan -- Reuters
Obama honors U.S. forces killed in helicopter attack -- L.A. Times
President Obama to pay his respects to troops at Dover Air Force Base -- Washington Post
Secrecy shrouds homecoming of troops killed in Afghanistan crash; names of dead not released -- Washington Post
Obama pays respects to fallen troops at Dover ceremony -- The Hill
Remains of troops arrive at Dover Air Force Base -- USA Today
Remains of 30 troops returned to U.S. -- Washington Post

No Media Coverage Of Returning Remains Of SEALs At Dover

AFP - Getty Images file

Pentagon Bans Media Coverage Of Ceremony To Return Remains Of Soldiers Killed In Helo Crash -- Washington Post

The Pentagon said Monday that it would prohibit media coverage of the return of 30 dead American troops to U.S. soil after they were killed in a helicopter crash in the deadliest day of the decade-long Afghanistan war.

The somber military ritual at Dover Air Force Base of welcoming home those killed in wars overseas was re-opened to the public in March 2009 after an 18-year ban. Coverage of the return of troops’ flag-draped remains — termed “dignified transfers” by the military — has been permitted since then as long as relatives of the deceased give their approval.

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More News On There Being No Press Coverage Of The Returning U.S. Navy SEALs Remains At Dover

Pentagon: Remains of Afghan helicopter crash victims to return to US Tuesday -- Washington Post
Bodies from helicopter crash due at Dover Air Force Base on Tuesday -- Delaware Online
Pentagon: No Coverage of Dover Ceremony for 30 Killed in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Media barred from ceremonies for 30 troops killed in Afghanistan -- Stars and Stripes
Return of U.S. soldiers' remains won't be public -- CBC

Receiving America's Fallen Heroes At Dover

Marine Sgt. Frank J. World of Buffalo, N.Y., was carried from the back of a C-17 plane to a mortuary truck at Dover Air Force Base on Easter Sunday. Luke Sharrett/The New York Times

As Families Gather At Dover, Efforts To Ease Pain -- New York Times

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. — Shortly after 4:20 a.m. on Easter Sunday, a pair of flag-covered cases with the remains of two Marines, both killed the previous week in Afghanistan, were carried out of the belly of a C-17 into the sight of their waiting families.

As two mothers, a widow and a knot of other kin watched from the tarmac, the bodies of Sgt. Frank J. World, 25, of Buffalo and Lance Cpl. Tyler O. Griffin, 19, of Voluntown, Conn., were loaded into a large van. Marines in white gloves and camouflage fatigues gave a final salute in the dark chill, then marched in formation behind the van as it rolled slowly toward the base mortuary, the largest in the nation.

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My Comment: Are prayers are for the families and their love ones.

Most Families Allow Coverage Of Fallen

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)

From Military.com:

DOVER, Delaware - In the weeks since the Pentagon ended an 18-year ban on media coverage of fallen soldiers returning to the United States, most families given the option have allowed reporters and photographers to witness the solemn ceremonies that mark the arrival of flag-draped transfer cases.

Critics had warned that military families needed privacy and peace activists might exploit the images, but so far the coverage has not caused problems.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers who died April 4 in Afghanistan, was the first combat casualty whose return to American soil was witnessed by the media. He was to be buried with full military honors Monday afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery.

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My Comment: Canada has a policy that lets the families decide to have coverage or not. From what I know it has worked extremely well in Canada .... so I could only assume that the same would be for the U.S. I guess only time will tell.

Pentagon Lets Media See Return Of US War Dead

U.S. Air Force airmen transfer the remains of Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Myers on Dover Air Force Base, Del., April 5, 2009. This was the first time the Defense Department has allowed families to permit media coverage of dignified transfer operations under a new policy. U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik

From Yahoo News/AP:

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. – The Pentagon's 18-year ban on media covering the return of fallen U.S. service members ended with a solemn ceremony for the arrival of a flag-draped casket of an airman felled in Afghanistan.

After receiving permission from family members, the military opened Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to the media Sunday night for the return of the body of Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers of Hopewell, Va.

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Update: Airmen Cover the Fallen With Dignity, Honor, Respect -- U.S. Department of Defense