Remains of War Dead Dumped in Landfill

           What happens when you believe that your loved one was going to be disposed of properly by the government, but then you receive a letter that their remains were dumped into a landfill. This is a little sadistic. Craig Whitlock and Greg Jaffe shed some light on this dirty little secret hidden in a Virginia landfill. From 2003 until 2008, partial remains of deceased soldiers have been cremated and then dumped into a landfill. The Air Force defends their decision by telling the Washington Post that they were only partial remains that could never be identified. Before being cremated the Air Force must attain permission from the soldiers families, but the families were never aware that their loved ones would be disposed of in a landfill like they were garbage. Gari-Lynn Smith was "appalled and disgusted" by the way that her husband’s remains were taken care of. Lynn continued by saying, "My only peace of mind in losing my husband was that he was taken to Dover and that he was handled with dignity, love, respect and honor. That was completely shattered for me when I was told that he was thrown in the trash”. Needless to say, thousands of military families are upset and angry at how the Air Force treated the fallen soldiers that dies for their country. The procedure has since been changed.

         Jaffe and Whitlock are sensitive to the deceased one’s families and support them. The purpose of this article was to inform the public of the government’s mistakes and how they are handling them. Co-writers were disgusted at how the Air Force monitored and responded to the Washington Post’s questions. The persons responsible for their errors were placed under an eighteen-month investigation, but were never fired. This article is packed with emotional testimonies from loved ones, but also is filled with hatred towards the people responsible. These fallen soldiers deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and not just tossed away. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/remains-of-war-dead-dumped-in-landfill/2011/11/09/gIQAz7dM6M_story_1.html