Cremation of Troops, Animals At Same Facility

[HARDCORE]

My comment is at the bottom of article. Rick
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http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...10remains.html

Cremation of troops, animals at same facility draws concern

By Lolita C. Baldor --- ASSOCIATED PRESS ----- May 10, 2008

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is recommending changes in the handling of service members' remains after it was revealed that a crematorium contracted by the military handles both human and animal cremations.

A military official said there have been no instances or allegations that human and pet remains were mixed.

However, officials are recommending that service members' remains be incinerated at a facility dedicated entirely to humans, in order to avoid an appearance of a problem.
Or, officials said, families can opt to have a relative's remains sent to a local funeral home for cremation, which would be paid for by the military.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates believed the earlier situation was “insensitive and entirely inappropriate for the dignified treatment of our fallen,” said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.

“Our heroes deserve to be better treated than that,” Morrell said, adding that a sign at one of the crematoriums noted it also does pet cremations. He said Gates offered an apology to military families for the insensitivity.

The Dover Air Force Base Port Mortuary, where all service members' remains arrive from the battlefield, doesn't have a crematorium, so it contracts with two funeral homes for the cremations: Torbert Funeral Chapel and Pippens Funeral Home.

Pippens' crematorium is located at the funeral home and is used only for human remains, while Torbert's has incinerators for both human and animal remains.

While most facilities don't advertise the fact that they handle human and animal remains, there's a sign near the Torbert crematory advertising the “Friends Forever Pet Cremation Service.”

Officials said there are three incinerators at the Torbert facility and that two are used for humans, while one is used for pets.

The human and pet facilities are separated by about 20 feet.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, Air Force staff director, told Pentagon reporters it isn't uncommon for crematoriums to provide both services.

Klotz said the issue came to light yesterday when an officer who works at the Pentagon went to Dover to pay respects to a fallen comrade who was being cremated.

The soldier noticed the pet-cremations sign and was concerned that the facility handled both human and animal remains.

The officer alerted senior officials at the Pentagon, who notified Capitol Hill and quickly pulled together the policy changes.

Bill Torbert, president of Torbert Funeral Chapel, said a representative from Dover Air Force Base visited a crematory run by his company this week but was satisfied there was nothing amiss.

Torbert said the human and pet crematories are in adjoining buildings on the same property but have separate entrances.
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THE VILEST OF ALL HUMAN INSULTS!!

QUOTE - Associated Press: “Cremation of troops, animals at same facility draws concern! (San Diego Union Tribune, Saturday, 10 May 2008)
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Concern Hell, this final insult to our fallen comrades from the War in The Muddled East, should draw the unlimited ire of, not only every man and woman who ever wore our Nation’s uniform with pride, it should also draw the unbending anger of each and every one of our citizens as well!

Having had relatives and friends who died in this nation’s defense, I can not begin to relate the pain that the parents of those who fell in our defense must be feeling! And now we learn that animals and patriots alike were cremated but some twenty or so feet apart in Delaware, by a military approved, profit-making crematorium, that, to my satisfaction, could never convince me that the possibility of mixed ashes (animal and human) does not exist! The only way to know for sure, is to analyze these ashes, in my opinion?

Regardless of the outcome of such a testing, I still find it appalling that such a practice has ever taken place here in the United States? And regardless of government’s denials (as usual), and promises that it will never happen again, one time was far too many!

“HEADS MUST ROLL!!”

[Norfolk]

Sick and wrong.