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    Mortuary affairs - A labor of love

    Collection Point - Handle with Care

    Photo By Spc. Jack Hillard | FORT PICKETT, Va. - U.S. Army Reserve Spc. Victoria Jacobo, a mortuary affairs...... read more read more

    FORT PICKETT, VA, UNITED STATES

    06.21.2016

    Story by Capt. Michael Merrill 

    372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

    FORT PICKETT, VA. – Their mission is proudly displayed on their training folders, highlighting the fourth line of the U.S. Army’s Warrior Ethos: “I will never leave a fallen comrade.”
    With such a unique job set, mortuary affairs Soldiers from the 210th Regional Support Group have had a large-scale exercise designed specifically to train these specialists in tasks not covered in other training events.
    “From the moment that the mortuary affairs personnel on the battlefield recover or receive the remains, they start the process of caring for their fallen comrades until they are reunited with their loved ones,” said Frank Rivero, a mortuary affairs officer at the Joint Mortuary Affairs Center at Fort Lee, Va.
    During the training exercise at Fort Pickett, Army Reserve Soldiers, who make up the majority of Army mortuary affairs assets, navigate several simulated real-world scenarios which included search and recovery operations, establishing mortuary affairs collection points, and processing remains (mannequins) and personal effects for transportation.
    Here, the training is intense. Soldiers of the 210th RSG and members of a Marine Reserve unit look to those with deployment experience to train the next generation of specialists. While they are able to inject real-life experiences and scenarios into the training, they also must prepare for aspects of the job used in places like France and Korea – search and recovery.
    During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mortuary affairs units were located at larger bases, and remains would be delivered to them by member of the deceased’s unit. In preparing for another large-scale conflict, Soldiers must know how to navigate and search battlefields, clear buildings and check for improvised explosive devices.
    Even without the search and recovery missions, however, the difficulty is not abated. Often the most traumatic aspects happen with reception of the remains. Mortuary affairs specialists are constantly exposed to the raw emotion of Soldiers delivering the remains of their recently departed comrades. They are required to calmly process administrative tasks with Soldiers who are often still on an adrenaline rush from battle and grieving the loss of a friend.
    “The Soldiers who stay in this field are special,” said Col. John Simma, the 210th RSG commander. “They have to want to do their job, because in a deployed environment, they see the results of combat every day.”
    In assigning such a hallowed duty, the Army understands that the position is not for everyone. It is one of the few specialties in the Army where a Soldier can simply state, “I’m done,” and move on to another field without repercussions.
    Additionally, the role of mortuary affairs Soldiers often goes unnoticed. Their job is usually overshadowed by the much more publicized aspect of their field, which begins with the arrival of remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Even most active duty Soldiers are unaware the Army has mortuary affairs positions.
    Simma acknowledges that it’s a hard specialty to recruit Soldiers into and a hard task to retain them, but he is quick to note that he considers them the unsung heroes of the logistics force.
    “One of my Soldiers was at the home of a friend when a mortuary affairs officer came to assist after a family member had been killed overseas,” Rivero said. “That mortuary affairs Soldier had such an impact on that young man that when he decided to join the Army, he wanted to work in the same field.”
    While not all Soldiers have such an inspirational introduction to mortuary affairs, the desire to serve is commonplace.
    “The majority of Soldiers in this field will tell you they went into this specialty to make a difference for the families of the fallen,” Rivero said.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.21.2016
    Date Posted: 06.22.2016 21:00
    Story ID: 202174
    Location: FORT PICKETT, VA, US
    Hometown: DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DE, US
    Hometown: FORT GREGG-ADAMS, VA, US

    Web Views: 256
    Downloads: 2

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