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Mortuary affairs deals with grim side of war

May 5, 2003

By Senior Airman Andrew Svoboda
8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

KUNSAN AIR BASE, Korea -- Casualties are an unwanted, but unavoidable cost of war. In the event that any Wolf Pack troops are killed, a team of specialists here ensures the remains are repatriated to families back in the United States.

The 8th Services Squadron mortuary affairs serve as the first people responsible for getting remains back to families as quickly as possible.

"We don't identify bodies here, so it's important we get the remains sent back to the United States as quickly as possible," said Tech. Sgt. Jacob Trujillo, 8th Services Squadron mortuary team leader. "Once in the United States, DNA tests and dental record checks are run, so the next-of-kin can be notified. We only put who the body is 'believed to be,' but official notification is made from the United States.

Mortuary affairs troops work hand-in-hand with medical staff. In the event of a mass casualty incident, a mortuary affairs representative usually goes to the scene of the accident. If there are a lot of dead bodies, a doctor will pronounce the dead, and remains will by bypass the clinic and go directly to the base's temporary mortuary.

"We're not medical, so we never touch a body until we have a death certificate," said Trujillo.

Mortuary affairs troops also operate a mortuary collection point near the clinic during contingencies and exercises. When someone is pronounced dead, they arrange transportation from the hospital to the mortuary.

"Although doctors inspect the body, our mortuary collection point person inspects the body for UXOs [unexploded ordnance]," said Trujillo.

At the mortuary, troops remove organizational gear such as web belt and canteen, then finger print the bodies.

"We never touch personal gear, such as wallets or ID cards," said Trujillo. "That stays on the person for identification purposes in the United States. We also put a bag over the head increase any teeth come loose, they aren't lost."

During exercises, living people actually simulate dead bodies by stepping inside body bags.

"We zip the bags, but only to about the neck," said Trujillo. "For inspection purposes, we also motion like we would cover the head with a plastic bag, but of course we don't really do it. We just show capability and knowledge of proper procedures."

Finally, after remains are fingerprinted and processed, they're stored in a refrigerated holding area until transport is arranged to carry them back to the United States.

"We also notify the PERSCO [personnel in support of a contingency operation] team of the casualty," said Trujillo. "They keep accountability of all troops deployed to the base, and can request a replacement for the troop killed."

Mortuary affairs here is typically a two-person slot, which falls under the 8th SVS readiness flight. Due to the increased number of casualties during a contingency, extra troops are pulled from various jobs in the services squadron, such as the community center, dining facility and fitness center.

Working with dead bodies can be a psychologically demanding job, as Tech. Sgt. Russell Jameson knows first-hand. Jameson is a veteran of mortuary affairs, having worked at Dover Air Force Base's port mortuary for seven years. He's been involved with remains processing for more than 25 major incidents, including the Khobar Towers and USS Cole bombings and Sept. 11 Pentagon attack.

Even if someone is selected to work in mortuary affairs, they can decline.

"All services troops are trained to work mortuary affairs," said Jameson. "Even though we're all trained, not everyone can handle the job. Seeing personal effects, such as photos of the dead person's family, can be extremely hard for some people to deal with. That's ok, because we can shift people around to make the mission happen."

During the remains processing, chaplains are always around, and are actively involved in providing support to mortuary affairs workers. Team members are also talk to each other to maintain a sense of normalcy during the situation.

While no exercise could prepare mortuary affairs to deal with the situation like real-world experience, it is an opportunity to refine skills and go over procedures.

"You can never get enough practice," said Trujillo. "It is so important we are precise, don't make mistakes and handle the body with the utmost respect."

"Being part of mortuary affairs is the most gratifying thing I've ever done," added Jameson. "We begin the process with a broken body, but by the end, return the person to an honorable soldier. I take great satisfaction in knowing that we help bring closure to the next of kin and the work we do will last forever." (Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces News Service)