thedrifter
03-28-09, 07:57 AM
Two Amazing Marines
Posted By: Jane Wells | Correspondent
cnbc.com
| 27 Mar 2009 | 12:08 PM ET
One of the fascinating things about the thousands of servicemen and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan is how entrepreneurial they are. I've already written about Iraqi war veteran Scott Darley, who left the Marines to launch his own small business, Passion Positive, a lingerie store!
Many of the returning warfighters are reservists who already had jobs. But even some of these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are coming back with new career plans. Some started laying the groundwork for new ventures while overseas, using their off-duty hours to do research and develop partnerships.
Which brings me to former Marines Ben Lichtenwalner and Ryan Sawyer, two reservists who were sent to Iraq and given a most unusual job. They were put on mortuary duty, taught to recover the bodies of fallen Americans and prepare them for shipment home. "The first time I had to go out and actually experience somebody in a body bag, that really stuck in my mind," says Ryan Sawyer. "We drove out to the flight line. It was the middle of the night. Three US servicemen came in by helicopter, and I remember vividly a single drop of blood coming out of that body bag and landing on my boot...there's no way to prepare for that."
Sawyer and Lichtenwalner learned over the following months that even though this was a sad and gruesome task, "you could tell that you were doing something that was helping people."
So the two started planning their return to civilian life. They wondered if the skills they'd learned in Iraq might be useful in America-the ability to sensitively clean up death scenes, whether the person died naturally, or by homicide, or suicide. Lichtenwalner began researching and discovered that families do the clean-up themselves 80 percent of the time, not knowing that homeowners insurance often covers the cost.
Lichtenwalner and Sawyer saved up their money, and in 2006 they created Biotrauma, Inc. www.biotrauma.com Based in Atlanta, the firm gets about two calls a week to clean up scenes in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and the Carolinas. Business has doubled in the last year, they've expanded to a staff of ten, and they hope to become a national brand. "We have operated this company debt free from its inception," says Ben Lichtenwalner. He says the service can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, which they get from the insurer. "We never further victimize a family by issuing them a bill directly."
Lichtenwalner also says they've learned some lessons. For one thing, they ditched the idea of driving vehicles bearing the Biotrauma name. "People were looking for a discreet service that could arrive in unmarked vehicles and respect their privacy." There's also this challenge: while Biotrauma is profitable, few people know such a business even exists. "If you went to the phone book, where are you gonna look?" says Sawyer. "This is the dilemma that people are left with after the police, or after the first responders (leave)...no one knows quite what to ask even." Finally, at crime scenes, the two men have learned the importance of keeping in touch with law enforcement. "We are the last ones to see the evidence," Sawyer says. "We have found the loot bag of assailants in the past."
While it is a tough job, the two ex-Marines say it hasn't affected them as much as you might expect. "It is most rewarding to see the look of relief on people's faces following the completion of a job at their property," Lichtenwalner says. I asked him about his most memorable experience, and here's the story he told me:
"Christmas 2007. An 18-year-old kid took his life in his living room. He lived with his parents, and they were obviously distraught at his passing. The Christmas tree caught a lot of the biologically hazardous waste...As the tree had to be disposed of, we took it upon ourselves to deliver a new one to the family. When we brought it over, you could tell that the gesture meant a lot to them at a time where nothing much else seemed to be fine. The look on their face was certainly memorable."
Here is some video Lichtenwalner and Sawyer recently shot at one of their job sites, an apartment where a man died of natural causes.
The video is not graphic.
You may find it fascinating to watch Biotrauma in action.
The team uses a hospital grade disinfectant and an enzyme to clean all surfaces, even going down to the foundation if necessary. They often bring in an ozone generator to remove all smells, but after the ozone does its job, Ryan Sawyer says, "the property smells like nothing". He says the lack of smell can play tricks on the minds of survivors. They imagine it still smells as it did before. So Biotrauma follows up with one last round of disinfectant to give the place a "clean" scent. It's all part of doing whatever they can to ease the pain of loss.
"When we were in Iraq our mission was to provide closure to families," says Ben Lichtenwalner, a mission they continue to perform.
Ellie
Posted By: Jane Wells | Correspondent
cnbc.com
| 27 Mar 2009 | 12:08 PM ET
One of the fascinating things about the thousands of servicemen and women coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan is how entrepreneurial they are. I've already written about Iraqi war veteran Scott Darley, who left the Marines to launch his own small business, Passion Positive, a lingerie store!
Many of the returning warfighters are reservists who already had jobs. But even some of these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are coming back with new career plans. Some started laying the groundwork for new ventures while overseas, using their off-duty hours to do research and develop partnerships.
Which brings me to former Marines Ben Lichtenwalner and Ryan Sawyer, two reservists who were sent to Iraq and given a most unusual job. They were put on mortuary duty, taught to recover the bodies of fallen Americans and prepare them for shipment home. "The first time I had to go out and actually experience somebody in a body bag, that really stuck in my mind," says Ryan Sawyer. "We drove out to the flight line. It was the middle of the night. Three US servicemen came in by helicopter, and I remember vividly a single drop of blood coming out of that body bag and landing on my boot...there's no way to prepare for that."
Sawyer and Lichtenwalner learned over the following months that even though this was a sad and gruesome task, "you could tell that you were doing something that was helping people."
So the two started planning their return to civilian life. They wondered if the skills they'd learned in Iraq might be useful in America-the ability to sensitively clean up death scenes, whether the person died naturally, or by homicide, or suicide. Lichtenwalner began researching and discovered that families do the clean-up themselves 80 percent of the time, not knowing that homeowners insurance often covers the cost.
Lichtenwalner and Sawyer saved up their money, and in 2006 they created Biotrauma, Inc. www.biotrauma.com Based in Atlanta, the firm gets about two calls a week to clean up scenes in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and the Carolinas. Business has doubled in the last year, they've expanded to a staff of ten, and they hope to become a national brand. "We have operated this company debt free from its inception," says Ben Lichtenwalner. He says the service can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, which they get from the insurer. "We never further victimize a family by issuing them a bill directly."
Lichtenwalner also says they've learned some lessons. For one thing, they ditched the idea of driving vehicles bearing the Biotrauma name. "People were looking for a discreet service that could arrive in unmarked vehicles and respect their privacy." There's also this challenge: while Biotrauma is profitable, few people know such a business even exists. "If you went to the phone book, where are you gonna look?" says Sawyer. "This is the dilemma that people are left with after the police, or after the first responders (leave)...no one knows quite what to ask even." Finally, at crime scenes, the two men have learned the importance of keeping in touch with law enforcement. "We are the last ones to see the evidence," Sawyer says. "We have found the loot bag of assailants in the past."
While it is a tough job, the two ex-Marines say it hasn't affected them as much as you might expect. "It is most rewarding to see the look of relief on people's faces following the completion of a job at their property," Lichtenwalner says. I asked him about his most memorable experience, and here's the story he told me:
"Christmas 2007. An 18-year-old kid took his life in his living room. He lived with his parents, and they were obviously distraught at his passing. The Christmas tree caught a lot of the biologically hazardous waste...As the tree had to be disposed of, we took it upon ourselves to deliver a new one to the family. When we brought it over, you could tell that the gesture meant a lot to them at a time where nothing much else seemed to be fine. The look on their face was certainly memorable."
Here is some video Lichtenwalner and Sawyer recently shot at one of their job sites, an apartment where a man died of natural causes.
The video is not graphic.
You may find it fascinating to watch Biotrauma in action.
The team uses a hospital grade disinfectant and an enzyme to clean all surfaces, even going down to the foundation if necessary. They often bring in an ozone generator to remove all smells, but after the ozone does its job, Ryan Sawyer says, "the property smells like nothing". He says the lack of smell can play tricks on the minds of survivors. They imagine it still smells as it did before. So Biotrauma follows up with one last round of disinfectant to give the place a "clean" scent. It's all part of doing whatever they can to ease the pain of loss.
"When we were in Iraq our mission was to provide closure to families," says Ben Lichtenwalner, a mission they continue to perform.
Ellie