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View Full Version : Arlington Mix Up Now Over 6000



USNAviator
07-29-10, 04:12 PM
WASHINGTON – Estimates of the number of graves that might be affected by mix-ups at Arlington National Cemetery grew from hundreds to as many as 6,600 on Thursday, as the cemetery's former superintendent blamed his staff and a lack of resources for the scandal that forced his ouster.

John Metzler, who ran the historic military burial ground for 19 years, said he accepts "full responsibility" for the problems.

But he also denied some of the findings by Army investigators and suggested cemetery employees and poor technology were to blame for remains that may have been misidentified or misplaced. He said the system used to track grave sites relied mostly on a complicated paper trail vulnerable to error.

"Personally it is very painful for me that our team at Arlington did not perform all aspects of its mission to the high standard required," he told a Senate panel. He was subpoenaed to testify.

Metzler and his deputy, Thurman Higginbotham, were forced to retire after Army investigators found that as many as 211 graves were unmarked or misidentified. The report by the Army Inspector General's office accused Metzler of repeatedly failing to ensure burials were being done properly and of failing to respond after unmarked graves were discovered.


I can't even fathom the pain and the grief this must be causing all those families. And yet their only penalty was "they were forced to retire" How shameful

hbharrison
07-29-10, 04:59 PM
With computers today and we are still relying on paper work to find our people in Arlington that is shameful. And the most shameful part is it has taken this long to find it.

jetdawgg
07-29-10, 08:08 PM
Doesn't the same entity that manages(?) the cemetery in NOVA want to run health care too?:usmc:

DocGreek
07-29-10, 10:49 PM
:evilgrin:.....LET'S REMEMBER....ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, IS AN ARMY BASE/INSTALLATION, THAT'S WHY I'LL BE BURIED AT SEA.....BY THE U.S. NAVY!!!!!!!.....:evilgrin:

hrscowboy
07-29-10, 11:04 PM
Oh no you aint doc, Marines are gonna do the honors ....

Garyius
07-30-10, 07:36 AM
Hoprefully they know where SPC Richard McKinley's body is.

He was killed in the SL-1 accident and his body is very radioactive.