As part of an ongoing investigation into military mortuary services, the Air Force admits it dumped the partial cremated remains of at least 274 servicemembers in Virginia landfills.
Craig Whitlock and Mary Pat Flaherty of The Washington Post report the dumping was hidden from families who had agreed to allow the military to dispose of their loved ones remains in “a dignified and respectful manner.”
The Air Force halted the practice three years ago, just prior to the 2009 ruling by President Obama to lift the ban on news coverage of fallen troops imposed by George H.W. Bush in 1991. Until then, the mortuary activities of the military were hidden from scrutiny.
The Air Force went on to tell The Post that it cannot say how many remains went to the dump and that to find out it would have to search the records of more than 6,300 servicemembers handled by the mortuary since 2001.
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