Remains of US troops dumped in landfill

Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:57PM GMT

Appalling reports about disposing of the partial remains of US troops who lost their lives in US wars in a garbage dump have outraged the families of those killed and the country's military forces.

According to investigations, the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware dumped the cremated partial remains of at least 274 service members in the King George County Landfill between 2004 and 2008.

Some body parts were lost, burned, cut away and even dumped as garbage in the landfill before the disturbing practice came to a halt in 2009.

According to the reports, the mortuary was even responsible for severing the limb of a fallen soldier, simply because they were unable to fit it into his uniform.

“No service member, no human being at all should be placed in a landfill no matter if it is a finger nail, a foot or an entire body,” said widow Gari-Lynn Smith, remains of whose husband were disposed of in the landfill after his 2006 death in Iraq.

After an 18-month investigation, only three mortuary supervisors were only disciplined, but not fired.

Col. Robert H. Edmondson, who served as mortuary commander from January 2009 to October 2010, was issued a letter of reprimand. He is still on active duty but has been reassigned.

Quinton R. Keel, a civilian who served as division director at the mortuary, was demoted and assigned to another job at Dover Air Force Base.