For First Time in Decades, Arlington National Cemetery Must Bury Multiple ‘Unknowns’
Christian Davenport, The Washington Post (March 06, 2011)
When the remains of a Vietnam War soldier buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery were identified in 1998 using DNA, Pentagon officials proudly said that the days of interring service members as “Unknown” could well be over.
It is difficult to imagine the situation at Arlington National Cemetery getting any worse. But the bad news just keeps coming and coming. Hats off to the Washington Post, whose reporters have been rigorously following this case.
The newest revelation is that eight sets of unidentified, cremated human remains were chucked into a single gravesite because of human negligence.
When Arlington Cemetery’s problems first came to light, I remember referring to the entire situation as a ‘Code Red’ alarm for any cemetery.
I’m not sure that even Code Red is an adequate description anymore.
One day, a final tally of all the mishandled burials might be known. But I’m not counting on it.
To read more about the Arlington National Cemetery debacle, click here.