Feb. 21, 2012 – The Defense Health Board has received findings and recommendations from an independent review of practices at the Dover Port Mortuary in Delaware directed in December by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.“One of the department's most sacred responsibilities is ensuring that the remains of our fallen heroes are recovered and returned to their families with the honor and dignity they have earned,” Little said.
“In that respect,” he added, “Secretary Panetta is awaiting the completion of the report by the Defense Health Board containing its findings and recommendations and expects to receive the official documentation on Feb. 29.”
Panetta established an investigative subcommittee Dec. 2 following an Air Force investigation that found some remains were not handled in accordance with procedures at the Port Mortuary Division of Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base. Three civilian employees at the mortuary had filed complaints in 2010 about how some remains were handled at the facility, and the Air Force implemented several corrective actions as a result of the investigation, Air Force officials said last year. read more>>>
Feb 21, 2012 - Among the group’s recommendations:• Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations should be placed on the list of centrally selected Air Force commands, and the selected commander should receive special training to deal with the unique nature of the mission. The Air Force secretary also should give the commander Uniformed Code of Military Justice authority.
• The Air Force should form a new command or designate an appropriate command to directly oversee AFMAO.
• The director of Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, which is responsible for the DNA bank, drug and toxicology testing, and examining wounds to provide lessons learned to commanders in the field, should be a commander, and that person also should have UCMJ authority.
• The Army secretary, as the executive agent, should establish minimum standards for manning, training and tour lengths for troops who serve on each of the services’ liaison teams. These teams should then be placed under the tactical control of the AFMAO commander while they’re assigned to Dover. Currently, each service has a “very informal” liaison program, and each representative is trained and manned very differently, Abizaid said.
• The military should implement regular inspections and after-action reviews at all levels, from AFMAO up through the chain of command and to the Defense Department level.
The scandal at Dover Port Mortuary, which is on Dover Air Force Base, Del., and is where remains of all fallen troops come through, broke in November. read more>>>
No comments:
Post a Comment