They are our nations hero's , and after dying for their country the bodies of 274 troops were thrown into a Virginia landfill. The families of these men were told the military would dispose of the remains in a dignified and respectful manner. Throwing them into a landfill most certainly does not qualify as either of those things, and is probably why this practice was kept a secret.

The landfill disposals were never formally authorized under military policies or regulations. They also were not disclosed to senior Pentagon officials who conducted a high-level review of cremation policies at the Dover mortuary in 2008, records show.
Air Force and Pentagon officials said last month that determining how many remains went to the landfill would require searching through the records of more than 6,300 troops whose remains have passed through the mortuary since 2001.
"It would require a massive effort and time to recall records and research individually," Jo Ann Rooney, the Pentagon's acting undersecretary for personnel, wrote in a Nov. 22 letter to Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J.

The families of those nearly 300 troops were not notified, and the Air Force has no plans to notify them now. Many say they could have some sort of closure and comfort if they knew where their loved one ended up , but others prefer not knowing if their relative was one of the many thrown into the landfill. According to the Air Force there is no reason to inform anyone of the practice.

The Air Force did not need to inform relatives of troops whose remains ended up in the landfill because they had already signed forms stipulating that they did not wish to be notified if additional remains were identified. The forms authorized the military to make "appropriate disposition" of those subsequent remains.
Asked if the landfill was a dignified final resting place, Jones replied: "The way we're doing it today is much better."

The way they are doing it today IS much better and far more dignified for men and women that served their country. The military now cremates unclaimed and unidentified body parts and buries the ashes at sea. God bless all those who gave their lives defending our freedoms, and God help whoever authorized such an awful practice !

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