USAF disposed soldiers' ashes in garbage dump

[RedRalph]

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.

This post makes me a bit gay for you

 

[Flying Pig]

This post makes me a bit gay for you

If it's actually the dead being disposed of like that then I'm completely against it, but I can't see the military culture matching up with that at all - in general, military people are hugely keen on the idea of 'leave no man behind': the Royal Marines flew two men strapped to an Apache to recover a dead body from a Taliban stronghold a few years ago. As I said, I don't think it's all it sounds like.

 

[Silurian]

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.

From the CBS link in the OP

Smith's husband, Sgt. 1st Class Scott R. Smith, a member of a bomb-disposal unit, was killed on July 17, 2006. In 2007, she began asking the military what happened to some of his remains that were identified after his funeral.


After four years of letters, phone calls and records requests, she received a letter from the mortuary in April stating that the military cremated and incinerated those partial remains and disposed of them in the King George County, Va., landfill.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57339029/274-soldiers-ashes-dumped-in-va-landfill/

So to get to this landfill they would have had to take the ashes within about 10 miles of Arlington and drive an hour further.

 

[Flying Pig]

To be honest, that's still a non-story. The ceremony is done, and the man's been laid to rest. They found an arm afterwards - that's not worth digging up the poor guy for: I don't think there's anything wrong with what happened.

 

[Silurian]

I agree that it is not worth digging someone up for in my opinion.

Some people think differently as shown by the link I posted earlier where a US hospital has a procedure for people who have a limb removed in hospital to go for burial if they wish.

I would not care what happened to my leg or arm but some people do.

If you do not ask people what they want then you should dispose of their loved ones remains in a manner that is accepted in the community.

 

[Bugfatty300]

The CBS article also mentions that this practice was against regulations.

It also says the families authorized the government to dispose of the partial remains with the understanding that it would be done in respectful and dignified manner.

So there's nothing wrong with any of this, I guess, as long as you're okay with breaking the law and deceiving people.

 

[7ronin]

Why is anyone surprised? Of course Obama would allow something like this. The Failure in Chief has absolutely no respect for the military and loves America's enemies.

What leads you to believe that Obama knew anything about this or that he approves of it? Perhaps you think there's a letter from Obama direct to the Dover mortuary which says, "You are directed to dispose of all service member body parts in a landfill. signed/The President."

 

[say1988]

Pretty sure that was sarcasm or it is way out of character. I would also guess that JR's post was too based on a rpevious thread.