Portions of soldiers´ cremated remains were landfilled

Nov. 10 -- Cremated body parts of fallen military servicemen and women were dumped into a Virginia landfill for five years before the military ended the practice in 2008, according to a report in today’s Washington Post.

The practice occurred at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary, which is under federal investigation for alleged mishandling of military remains, the Post reported.

The landfilled remains were cremated portions of unidentifiable body parts and fragments, or body parts that were later recovered from the battlefield, the newspaper said. The remains were cremated and then incinerated, with the ashes ending up in Virginia’s King George County landfill, which is operated by Waste Management Inc. and owned by King George County

Waste Management spokeswoman Lisa Kardell told Waste & Recycling News that her company was trying to gather as much information about the situation but there were more questions than answers at this point.

"Obviously, we were a little surprised by the news when we first received the call," Kardell said. "Right now, we’re in the process of trying to gather information from the Air Force."

Waste Management does not have a direct contract with Dover Air Force Base to accept material, so the company was trying to determine which military contractor would have delivered the remains to the landfill, she said.

"We’re trying to gather information because we don’t typically accept waste from Dover Air Force Base," she said.

Waste Management only learned of the situation when it received a call from the Washington Post, but has been unable to independently verify the facts of the article.

"We unfortunately were the disposal site for the contractor," Kardell said. "We’re, unfortunately, tied up in the middle of an unfortunate situation."

Considering the remains would have come in as ash and that so much time has passed since they were reportedly placed in the landfill, Kardell said she does not believe there is a chance for recovery.

"Unfortunately, I don’t see that as a possibility," she said.

The Air Force’s landfilling of cremated remains ended in 2008 after a new director took over at the mortuary and reviewed the procedure, according to a statement from Air Force Director of Public Affairs Brig. Gen. Les Kodlick.

Kodlick said the mortuary now buries these remains at sea, which "appropriately respects the dignity of our fallen warriors."

Gari-Lynn Smith, whose husband was killed in Iraq in 2006, found out that portions of his cremated remains ended up in the Virginia landfill when she received a letter from an official at Dover.

"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," Smith told the Post. "That was completely shattered for me when I was told that he was thrown in the trash."

Contact Waste & Recycling News at editorial@wastenews.com or 313-446-6000.

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