USMC: Happy Birthday

And with that, we discover that the remains of some of our finest service personnel -- our American Soldiers -- have been dishonored, abused, lost and -- worse yet -- possibly even dumped in a landfill.

From The Washington Post:

Remains of war dead dumped in landfill

By Craig Whitlockand Greg Jaffe, Wednesday, November 9, 3:19 PM

The Dover Air Force Base mortuary for years disposed of some dead troops’ body parts by burning them and dumping the ashes in a Virginia landfill, a practice that officials have since abandoned in favor of burying the remains at sea.

The Dover mortuary, which is the main point of entry for America’s war dead, sent remains to the landfill from 2003 until 2008, according to Air Force officials. The manner of disposal was typically withheld from the relatives of fallen service members. The disclosure comes in the aftermath of several federal investigations into

Federal investigators said Tuesday that they had uncovered “gross mismanagement” at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary that cares for America’s war dead after whistleblowers reported horror stories of lost body parts, shoddy inventory controls and lax supervision.

The Air Force admitted that the Dover mortuary misplaced a dead soldier’s ankle and another set of remains that had been stored in a plastic bag. Employees also sawed off the damaged arm bone of a Marine so he could fit in his uniform and coffin — but did not tell his family.

Military officials said the incidents resulted from the strain of handling thousands of dead bodies, some with gruesome injuries that made it difficult to prepare remains for burial.

But the sloppy handling of troops’ remains at Dover painfully undercut the military’s commitment to treat war dead with the utmost honor. “There is nothing more sacred, there is nothing that is a more profound obligation than treating our fallen with reverence, dignity and respect,”

The two camps that actively fight for Americans:

• 1. The military soldier, and
• 2. The law enforcement officer.

Because there are sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. And I am PROUD to still be a SHEEPDOG after 40+ years in service. In my department, I am a Silverback.

This is the 236th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps.

But, under its current administration and perhaps even that of the one before -- and even stepping back to the 60s and 70s -- the American Soldier, one of the most pure of essence -- has been thrown into situations from which they cannot escape or even overcome. Politics frequently trumps assignment and logic.

And still:

We find young American males who wish to shore up and literally, physically, fight for their country.

I've got to stop writing now. The tears are cascading down my cheeks.

Semper Fidelis.

"Always faithful."

God bless all who served and who serve now. Military and civilian.

Where would we be without you?

BZ