Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Man Butt-Dials 911 While Discussing Murder Plans Floridian is charged after slaying »

Whistleblower: We Asked to Bury 9/11 Remains at Sea

Former Dover Air Force Base mortuary director speaks out

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 7, 2012 1:31 PM CST

(Newser) – The 9/11 remains that ended up in a landfill could have been buried at sea instead: That's the plan some officials at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary pushed for, but their superiors in the military rejected it. "We fought the fight, but I had zero clout back then," says William D. Zwicharowski, who was then the mortuary's interim director. Zwicharowski is one of four whistleblowers who have brought to light various other problems at the mortuary. He showed the Washington Post emails from 2002 corroborating his account.

He says his boss, an Air Force commander, agreed with him that the collection of unidentified remains from American Airlines Flight 77, which were cremated at Dover, should be buried at sea. But higher-ups at the Air Force, the Army, and the Pentagon disagreed because the ashes also included "non-biological materials" like concrete and debris. Instead, the ashes were mixed with medical waste and turned over to a contractor, then later incinerated and dumped in a landfill.

This Aug. 9, 2011, shows the closed gates at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
This Aug. 9, 2011, shows the closed gates at Dover Air Force Base, Del.   (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
3%
7%
78%
2%
3%
7%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 9 comments
HopelessDreamer
Mar 7, 2012 7:43 PM CST
A memorial is the pinnacle of human tribute to his fallen. 9/11 Has many memorials. I visited one in the pentagon. This shouldn't even be an issue. 
Aelius28
Mar 7, 2012 3:15 PM CST
Why is this even an issue?? What am I missing here... they put ashes in a landfill, so what? That's what you're supposed to do with waste. The most egregious terrorist attack in the United States occurred on that day and people are concerned about the location we decide to discard waste? What the fuck..? I just.. I just don't understand people. The passengers and crew who were killed on that plane are dead. The remains of what was once their body have been virtually entirely disintegrated into the air and soil. Their brain, which is where that "person" was, disintegrated into its constituent atoms and spread all across the plains. It's not even that I disagree with people who think this is an issue, though I do disagree with them, I just don't even *understand* them to begin with... How is this distinguishable whatsoever from mindless superstition? Because that's what it seems to me to be. People seem to be applying human attributes to base chemical elements. Again, I just don't even know what to say except "wtf?"
martian
Mar 7, 2012 2:56 PM CST
My condolences to the friends and family members of these dearly departed. So now what do we do? Someone's loved one is in a landfill. More than likely by now covered in tons of garbage. Someone, some corporation could buy the landfill. Then they could close it for good. Cap it with nice earth, a lot of it.Then build a nice park or somesuch and erect a memorial wall. That,I think would be the best way to honor those deceased who are now there.
 

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne