Dover mortuary preparing for casualties
Troops killed in the Iraq war are expected soon
By BETH MILLER
Staff reporter
03/23/2003
The flags at Dover Air Force Base flew at half-staff Saturday and workers at the base mortuary prepared to receive the remains of the first fallen troops from the Iraq war, expected to begin arriving at any time.
It is a most somber time at the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs, the largest military mortuary in the world and the U.S. Central Command's designee to receive U.S. casualties from the war on Iraq. In the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s, the Dover mortuary received the remains of 310 troops.
"There is nothing more sensitive on earth than the return of someone's loved one," said William Zwicharowski, director of the mortuary.
No formal ceremonies and no public events are held at the base when the remains arrive. The mortuary is considered a stopover spot, and formal ceremonies are held at the final destination, usually the hometown of the service member.
When the remains arrive at Dover, they are taken to the mortuary for processing. There, they first are scanned to be sure no unexploded ordnance is present. A number is assigned until positive identification is made, when a name replaces the number. Personal effects such as watches and family photographs are collected and inventoried.
The remains are weighed, photographed and X-rayed. They are identified scientifically, using digital X-rays, dental records, DNA analysis and fingerprints.
It is "zero-defect" work, Zwicharowski said, which means everything must be verified and accurate. An autopsy is performed on each body to determine the cause of death. And then the embalming process is done.
"The primary purpose of embalming is to kill bacteria and render the remains safe to be exposed to the public," Zwicharowski said. "It also preserves the body for the return home."
Just as in civilian mortuaries, there is a cosmetology area. The remains also are clothed in the dress uniform of their service branch, along with every medal, ribbon and other decoration they have earned.
From there, they are placed in a hardwood or 18-gauge steel casket - the family's choice - for transport to hometowns. If cremation is preferred by the family, that is done at a Dover crematory, and an engraved urn is hand-carried to the hometown.
The work can be difficult and emotionally taxing. Each day starts and ends with a chaplain's prayer, and counselors are available to workers, Zwicharowski said.
"You've got to lean forward and focus," he said. "If you stand still, it could very well knock you down. I'm a former Marine. We've got to get them home. But you try to stay detached."
Staff Sgt. Demetrius Perusquia of Dover is among the Air Force Reservists from the 512th Airlift Wing's Mortuary Services Squadron. When the remains of soldiers killed in a Fort Drum, N.Y., helicopter crash came through recently, she worked in the X-ray area and helped with embalming and dressing the remains.
"It feels like I'm helping bring closure to the families," she said. But she cannot bear to know much about the troops who have died or the families who grieve over them. She prefers not to deal with the troops' personal effects or watch the news about casualties.
Instead, she concentrates on doing her job precisely.
"We take our time and make sure we don't make any mistakes," Perusquia said.
The Dover mortuary staff has handled enormous assignments since it opened in 1956, and it can handle 30 to 50 bodies a day, Zwicharowski said.
The largest single incident handled by the mortuary was the 1978 mass suicide of the cult led by Jim Jones in Guyana. The mortuary processed the remains of all 913 people who died there.
The tempo at the center has been especially intense since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Zwicharowski said. The mortuary received the remains of 188 people killed at the Pentagon.
Last month, mortuary workers identified and prepared the remains of the Columbia shuttle crew. Soon, remains will start to arrive from the war in Iraq.
Zwicharowski and his staff plan to handle them just as the sign posted over a mortuary door says: "Always With Honor."
Reach Beth Miller at 324-2784 or
[email protected]. mailto:[email protected]
Considering the morturary director's words which I highlighted: no media coverage. The ban was long overdue. As the sign says, "Always With Honor."
{{{{{{{Joy, Simon, Dana, Angharad and Mike}}}}}}} It was a pleasure speaking with you all earlier. Enjoy the party!
<-------Simon wheeling himself to and from the water.
Surfin' Simon. lol
Beans and Quotes!!! Well done!