USAF disposed soldiers' ashes in garbage dump

[Zelig]

When I die, I hope to have my body mashed through a garbage disposal unit in a sink.

 

[GoodGame]

The fact that people are complaining about this just confirms that they are part of the entitlement generation. Don't like it? Pay for their burial yourself

Actually the military earns a fair number of entitlements from rendering service onto death. A well known one is to be buried in a military graveyard, if that's their will. That's what Arlington National Cemetery has been doing since at least the American Civil War. It's actually the confiscated property of a one Robert E Lee.

I guess if you think that's "entitlement generation", then you concept of generation is pretty looooooong.

 

[Bootstoots]

Eh, it's just human remains. I don't see why people care so much about where their remains go - when I die, I'll just be ~65 kg of organic matter. Of course I'd rather anyone who can make use of any part of me use it, but whatever's left over should be disposed of in a cost-effective manner.

Why don't more people think like this?

 

[mangxema]

I wonder where body parts from hospitals ultimately end up.

From what I've been able to gather, probably as ashes in landfills. I'm not a medical professional, but it seems to me that the word that everyone is glossing over is partial, which implies that there's probably some other part that was buried cremated somewhere.

 

[dIZZyBlIZZy]

Eh, it's just human remains. I don't see why people care so much about where their remains go - when I die, I'll just be ~65 kg of organic matter. Of course I'd rather anyone who can make use of any part of me use it, but whatever's left over should be disposed of in a cost-effective manner.

Why don't more people think like this?

That's partially off. Funerals wakes and such are just as much for the survivors. It's a final farewell. Also, proper etiquette dictates how to treat the dead. You can't look at just the dead in this, but you are right in the fact that's all a dead body is.

 

[Silurian]

It is a 2 hour drive from Dover to Arlington.

I don’t know how many odd arms and legs they cremated a month but it cannot have produced so much been so much that it would not fit in a few jars a month.

So once a month a car takes the ashes to Arlington, a chaplain says a few short words and the ashes are spread in some quite spot.

How much would that cost, $1000 per month at the most.

 

[sanabas]

That's partially off. Funerals wakes and such are just as much for the survivors. It's a final farewell. Also, proper etiquette dictates how to treat the dead. You can't look at just the dead in this, but you are right in the fact that's all a dead body is.

If you want to get drunk and tell stories about the person who just died, you don't actually need their body/ashes/whatever to do it.

A dead body's just glorified medical waste, dispose of it the same way you'd dispose of any other medical waste. Even better, make it vaguely useful, run it through the pet food mincer/turn it into fertiliser/etc, same as you'd do for things like dead horses.

 

[RedRalph]

I look forward to Patroklos telling us how we don't understand because we haven't been in the military why this was entirely appropriate...

 

[Silurian]

I look forward to Patroklos telling us how we don't understand because we haven't been in the military why this was entirely appropriate...

Maybe the military just don't think.

From Mercy hospital

Policy. It is the policy of Mercy Hospital to arrange for the interment or disposal of all limbs amputated above the ankle or above the wrist. If the limb is to be buried, the patient must assume all financial responsibility. If the limb is to be disposed of by the hospital, the limb shall be incinerated by the department of environment quality engineering certified incinerator.
....

....
Date Revised: November 25, 1986
January 2000
Reviewed: June 2003
Reviewed by the Infection Control Committee: December 20, 2005
Reviewed by the Infection Control Committee: December 2006

http://www.mercycares.com/pages.asp?id=1880

Having a limb removed in a hospital is different to having it blown off but this US hospital has been making provision of limbs for over 30 years.

 

[squall78]

I don't really care what happens to my body if I die in combat or in service, but would like something symbolic to my rank/insignia that my surviving family members can cherish. Maybe my blues or stripes if I was enlisted.

I also would like my head to be separated from body in case I come back as a zombie. Other then that I have no requests.

 

[JollyRoger]

Sometimes threads make it blindingly obvious this is a video game forum.

How many of you have actually disposed of remains, let alone disposed of them in the course of your job, let alone been in situations where you might have disposed of them, let alone actually disposed of them?

Some of you are definetly reaching over your level of competence here.

 

[Traitorfish]

I also would like my head to be separated from body in case I come back as a zombie. Other then that I have no requests.

They actually used to do that in some parts of Europe. (Technically it was vampires, but the folkloric versions are often close enough.)

 

[Flying Pig]

Sounds like they were burning amputated arms and legs and putting them on the landfill - it's not certain that the men in question were actually dead at the time. Non-story.

 

[Bootstoots]

Sometimes threads make it blindingly obvious this is a video game forum.

How many of you have actually disposed of remains, let alone disposed of them in the course of your job, let alone been in situations where you might have disposed of them, let alone actually disposed of them?

Some of you are definetly reaching over your level of competence here.

You're right, I for one haven't dealt with human remains, just some animals'. But I don't know what the point of this post was if you aren't going to tell us anything. How about you enlighten us on anything related to human remains that we appear to be ignorant on?

 

[civver_764]

This is hardly the biggest problem with the military, but the symbolism is incredible. Someone should write a song called "Landfill" about this.

 

[JollyRoger]

You're right, I for one haven't dealt with human remains, just some animals'. But I don't know what the point of this post was if you aren't going to tell us anything. How about you enlighten us on anything related to human remains that we appear to be ignorant on?

I could, but you would need at least 10 years of direct experience to even begin to understand.

 

[squall78]

They actually used to do that in some parts of Europe. (Technically it was vampires, but the folkloric versions are often close enough.)

Twilight totally got rid of my fear of vampires. I am afraid of becoming patient/corpse zero in the zombie apocalypse however.

 

[Bootstoots]

I could, but you would need at least 10 years of direct experience to even begin to understand.

Okay, then tell us whatever you think would stick, be they macabre anecdotes, legal stuff, or anything else. Sitting back telling us we're "reaching over our level of competence" without explaining why isn't a good approach - if you know something, please explain it as best you can.

 

[dIZZyBlIZZy]

If you want to get drunk and tell stories about the person who just died, you don't actually need their body/ashes/whatever to do it.

A dead body's just glorified medical waste, dispose of it the same way you'd dispose of any other medical waste. Even better, make it vaguely useful, run it through the pet food mincer/turn it into fertiliser/etc, same as you'd do for things like dead horses.

True, but most people want to see the person they are saying goodbye to. You cannot equate a funeral to friends going to the bar and sharing their memories. Two different things?

How many of you have actually disposed of remains, let alone disposed of them in the course of your job, let alone been in situations where you might have disposed of them, let alone actually disposed of them?

Some of you are definetly reaching over your level of competence here.

Are you referring to something completely postmortem? Ship to medevac, yes, but I don't if that is included in what you're trying to ask.

 

[Rashiminos]

Consider the actor. Not a surprise as expendable means exactly that.