On February 26, I wrote about Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ decision to reverse the 18-year old ban on news coverage of our returning fallen heroes at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.
It was—and still is—a controversial decision, albeit it will be up to the families of the heroes to decide whether to admit the press to ceremonies at Dover Air Force Base.
More recently, the Pentagon has also announced that it will cover the costs for those families who wish to meet their fallen loved ones at Dover.
While, as I said, it was and is a controversial decision, there is nothing controversial about a dedicated group of Air Force Reservists who routinely deploy to Dover Air Force Base, for 60 to 120 days, to perform one final task for these fallen men and women with skill, reverence and patriotism.
They are a group of 40 men and women of the 914th Airlift Wing’s Services Squadron in the town of Niagara.
According to the Buffalo News, these Reservists “assist pathologists in identifying the remains and conducting autopsies. When those solemn tasks are completed, they also work alongside morticians in completing the final preparations for the journey home to loved ones.”
The Buffalo News interviewed a couple of these dedicated military. Here is what they had to say:
The work is satisfying, said Senior Master Sgt. Michael R. Roach, superintendent of the 914th Airlift Wing’s Services Squadron.
“A lot of what drives the people to be successful is a sense of patriotism,” Roach said. “It’s the least you can do for this person who has made the ultimate sacrifice.”
“People have approached me and asked, ‘Is this part of what you guys do?’ And I’ve said it’s exactly what we do at the port mortuary,” Roach said. “A lot of my friends and family really didn’t understand what we do until they saw the movie. They’ve told me they didn’t think they could handle that type of work.”
Master Sgt. Roach was referring to the recently released cable television movie, “Taking Chance,” which painstakingly details the return of a fallen Marine’s remains.
And,
Tech. Sgt. Juanita Hagen of Lockport says that when she enters the mortuary at Dover, she puts the outside world behind her.
“I get a sense of dignity, pride and accomplishment knowing that I did something wonderful for my fallen heroes,” Hagen said of her work.
When she entered the Air Force Reserve about 10 years ago, the mother of three young sons said, she was uncertain what direction her career would take. “I didn’t know why I joined, but I found this was my calling,” she said of caring for the dead.
These Reservists also serve in honor guards at local military funerals, and about 30 members of the squadron have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, performing important noncombat duties such as “feeding troops, managing tent cities and providing recreational activities during rest periods.”
According to Roach, “Since 9/11, we’ve put in about 6,000 man-days in Afghanistan and Iraq,” adding that they are set to again go overseas in the fall.
Finally, according to the Buffalo News, “just two days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the unit was assigned to Dover to assist in processing the remains of victims from the Pentagon, where there were 125 fatalities in addition to the 59 aboard the hijacked jetliner.”
To read more about this moving story, please click here.
