The Air Force reportedly dumped the ashes of at least 274 U.S. troops in a landfill in Virginia before it ended the practice three years ago, according to records obtained by the Washington Post.
Documents obtained by the Post indicate that 976 “fragments” from 274 troops were cremated and incinerated by the Dover Air Force Base mortuary, and then disposed of in a Virginia landfill between 2004 and 2008. In June, 2008, Dover changed its policy and now buries cremated remains in urns at sea.
Dover is currently the subject of a separate federal investigation for alleged “gross mismanagement” of remains.
From the Post:
The landfill disposals were never formally authorized under military policies or regulations. They also were not disclosed to senior Pentagon officials who conducted a high-level review of cremation policies at the Dover mortuary in 2008, records show.
Officials have said that the troops’ families were not informed about the practice, nor do they intend to inform them.
“That was the common practice at the time, and since then our practices have improved,” Lt. Gen. Darrell G. Jones, the deputy chief for personnel for the Air Force, told the Post.
Read the full report here.
