Air Force dumped remains of 274 troops in landfill

[sister_in_faith]

U.S. News - Report: Air Force dumped remains of 274 troops in landfill

Who on earth approved this?!? Who actually thought to themselves, yep, this is a good idea. Wow. People are so crazy. Ugh!

[annewandering]

It was disrespectful. Hard to understand how they would have even considered doing this.

[NeuroTypical]

Changes in disposal policies came about after an in-depth review at Dover was ordered in 2008 by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Glad to hear it.

[Saldrin]

they had to have a review to come to the conclusion that dumping dead people in a land fill is bad?

[NeuroTypical]

I'm guessing the review was to force discovery of the nonsense in the first place.

[Dravin]

they had to have a review to come to the conclusion that dumping dead people in a land fill is bad?

I suspect the review was not over whether one should dump remains into landfills but to confirm what was actually taking place and to what extent.

Consider this timeline:

1. Some number of people come to the conclusion to dump people in a landfill.

2. Reports surface that remains are being dumped in a landfill.

3. An investigation, or a review, into the disposal practices of the facility is made.

4. Reports confirmed.

5. Responsible parties shook and policies changed (either locally or nationally).

I may be reading you wrong, but you seem to be suggesting the review was over if it was a good idea to do disposal in such a manner as opposed to identifying the problem in concrete terms and then making steps to try to prevent it from happening again. Though I suppose no matter how you parse it you can't avoid the fact that some number of people decided to dispose of remains in such a manner.

Edited December 8, 2011 by Dravin

[annewandering]

Under any circumstances its disrespectful but for the military to dump their own in the dump is so hard to understand.

[Traveler]

How is this any more disrespectful than a G-d that says, “Of dust you are and unto dust you shall return”? Or how is it any more disrespectful than weeping at the grave of a saint that is now living with G-d?

I have in my will to donate my body to science. Many at church have asked how I can allow my body to be disrespected by individuals cutting up my remains with no thought or idea who I was? But I ask in all honesty - what is more disrespectful than getting excited and angry before we even know why something was done the way it was?

The Traveler

[applepansy]

How is this any more disrespectful than a G-d that says, “Of dust you are and unto dust you shall return”? Or how is it any more disrespectful than weeping at the grave of a saint that is now living with G-d?

I have in my will to donate my body to science. Many at church have asked how I can allow my body to be disrespected by individuals cutting up my remains with no thought or idea who I was? But I ask in all honesty - what is more disrespectful than getting excited and angry before we even know why something was done the way it was?

The Traveler

You make a good point. When we die and our spirit leaves this body its a lot like parking a car. The car can't run without the driver...a body can't run without a spirit. When we die we no longer need our body and so we "park' it....which is where the analogy ends. We are promised that our bodies will be made whole during the resurrection, regardless of what happens to them after our death.

The problem with dumping remains in a landfill is that our society places a high value on human life, the body represents the person whom we have lost. If they had designated a specific place for the remains to go other than a landfill where they dump garbage, I don't think there would be an uproar. Its the idea that a human body, that once housed a loved one, isn't worth more respect than a babies diaper.

I don't think the families would have considered a landfill a respectful place, which is what they agreed to when they allowed the military to dispose of the bodies.