By Capt Teri King

Captains Chip Hollinger, Liam Clancy, and I were honored and humbled to experience operations at the Port Mortuary, Dover AFB, where they care for military personnel killed overseas and expedite their dignified return home. We are Services Management Officers who teach Air Force Institute of Technology Mortuary Affairs classes to Force Support Squadron commanders and senior civilians. The assignment broadened our perspective and is already paying dividends, as we share it in the classroom. We all feel it was a sobering week and an experience that we will not soon forget.

The Port Mortuary is a joint operation with Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines all working side by side. There is also a diverse mix of career fields. The 12 permanent party team along with augmentees from EOD (explosive ordinance disposal), FBI, military chaplains, mental health, x-ray technicians, dental technicians, surgeons, and Services personnel. Both military and civilians make up this talented team. That is just the inside of Port Mortuary. On the outside, Base Operations coordinates the arrival of our fallen warriors, with Dover AFB leadership and local area commanders. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines from their respective service honor guard carry their comrade during a dignified transfer to the Port Mortuary. The local USO provides food, drinks, and support to the honor guard members conducting the detail. It really is a poignant event.

Once inside the Port Mortuary, several processes take place in quick succession. First, the transfer case is x-rayed for unexploded ordinance by EOD technicians. At the Command and Control section, “Believed to Be” information is entered into the Port Mortuary’s computer data base and an electronic case file is opened. Positive control is maintained throughout the operation via an electronic scanning system. A bar code is affixed to each gurney identifying the case number, and every effort is made, from fingerprints to DNA testing, to positively identify the individual. After confirming identification, the medical staff performs an autopsy to verify cause of death. Following the medical procedures, Services troops carefully prepare, dress or wrap, and casket the member for his or her final journey home.

The Port Mortuary has one room in particular with uniforms, ranks, and accoutrements for each branch of service. The uniforms are meticulously tailored and arranged to reflect the individuals’ career achievements, then steamed to ensure they look their absolute best when their loved ones see them for the last time. The detail and care taken in this room is a reflection of the skill and professionalism of the men and women who work at the Port Mortuary day in and day out. The personal effects room, where the member’s belongings are painstakingly checked, cleaned, and cataloged before being shipped to their next of kin, really made us think of these great Americans and what they sacrificed for each and everyone of us. This room holds pictures of the service members with their families, letters, driver’s licenses, and other personal effects secured from them when they died.

During the week, we witnessed 18 personnel processed. The military and civilian members that work there every day are an elite group. They complete tasks that few of us can even fathom. It was an honor for us to help process our fellow fallen comrades and to meet the great people that work diligently to ensure that family and friends have the opportunity to view their loved one in quiet repose before taking them to their final rest.