Photo By Staff Sgt. Noah Coger | From front to back, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Lorena Whitaker, Armed Forces Medical...... read more read more
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System (AFMES) at Dover Air Force Base stands out among the Department of War as truly being one-of-one. It is the only place where multiple, very specific missions are conducted. Its missions include the Forensic Toxicology (FORTOX) laboratory, where biological samples are sent for a full spectrum of toxicological analyses, the Armed Forces Repository of Specimen Samples for the Identification of Remains (AFRSSIR) which collects and stores every servicemembers blood stain cards, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) that is responsible for identifying fallen members from past conflicts and current day operations, and the Forensic Pathology Investigations (FPI) division, which is charged with conducting medicolegal death investigations in order to determine the cause and manner of death of individuals that are under AFMES jurisdiction.
The FPI division is a central hub from which many of the Department of War’s autopsies are performed. It has a limited number of civilian medicolegal death investigators as well as both civilian and military officers who make up the division’s medical examiners. And, within the division there is a little known but extremely crucial enlisted military occupational specialty (MOS), known as a “92 Mike”. These 92 Mikes are fatality management specialists within the U.S. Army. They are responsible for the recovery and disposition of human remains that are associated with the Department of War.
Although they are a small MOS within the Army, roughly 2,000 soldiers, they have a very broad reach.
“We have different missions across the globe,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Lorena Whitaker, AFMES fatality management senior non-commissioned officer. “There are 92 Mikes everywhere from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Hawaii, which is responsible for recovering remains from previous wars to Korea, Germany, and Fort Lee, Virginia, which has the only active-duty fatality management company in the Army with roughly 400 soldiers. Most 92 Mikes will work as subject matter experts (SME) in staff positions, advising commanders and senior leaders on what they need to do during training and what to expect during times of war.”
Typically, a 92 Mike, within a company, is primarily focused on preparing and running collection points, which consists of receiving, processing, and evacuating remains. Those at a staff level are usually advisors to commanders, helping prepare for war games, exercises, and planning where to place collection points, or how to distribute teams across a battlefield.
For those stationed at AFMES, however, they are charged with assisting medical examiners during autopsies.
“That is particular to AFMES,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class John D. Little, AFMES fatality management senior non-commissioned officer. “Because outside of being stationed at Dover, 92 Mikes, unless they work with Doctor House at Joint Base Lewis-McChord or Doctor Warren at Brooke Army Medical center (AFMES regional medical examiners), they don't have any opportunities to even assist with autopsies.”
For those 92 Mikes that do assist with autopsies, they are the muscle behind the medical examiners, transferring, cleaning, weighing, assisting with evisceration, and taking photo documentation throughout the entire process, which can be upwards of 100 photos per autopsy, that can take hours to complete.
“92 Mikes are the backbone of AFMES,” explained U.S. Army Sgt. Kayla-Porsche Harley, AFMES fatality management non-commissioned officer. “We carry all the equipment, medical supplies, camera, computer, everything. When we get to a location, we set up the stations, we remove the remains from the refrigerated container, take all the photos. Some of our 92Ms are more advanced and they can cut (perform eviscerations) from torso to head, others might just do the head or the neck. We take all the toxicological samples for the doctors, label everything, and get them ready to ship out and then clean everything.”
With the responsibilities that they carry and the heavy nature of the mission, not just anybody is suited for the job.
“Not everybody is capable or willing to do what we do here,” said Whitaker. “Unfortunately, even within our MOS, not everybody is willing to touch remains or assist with autopsies, take photos, remove the brain, or do what a full autopsy entails.”
Two enlisted servicemembers stationed at AFMES, however, have stepped out of their career fields and stepped up to assist the 92 Mike team. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Taylor, AFMES Joint Military Working Dog Laboratory technician and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dekeia Mays, FORTOX laboratory technician, have both volunteered to work alongside the 92 Mikes and medical examiners to complete the mission.
“My MOS is 68 Kilo (medical laboratory technician) by trade, so when I first came here, I was assigned to FORTOX on the books,” explained Taylor. “But I was stopped at the door by our senior enlisted advisor at the time, who asked if I was comfortable with assisting in autopsies. I told him while I was in advanced individual training (AIT) at JBLM as a student, I did a couple. Before I knew it, they sent me to Ohio for training for two weeks. I received training on opening the skull and removing the brain and on the evisceration process; I didn’t think I would like it, but I actually loved it.”
Every 92 Mike that comes through AFMES’ doors is subsequently sent to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office in Dayton, Ohio to receive hands on training, assisting local medical examiners, for two weeks. This training immerses 92 Mikes in a setting that has a high-volume caseload, facilitating accelerated learning within a condensed timeframe. Once they return, they receive an additional two weeks of forensic photography training in house, through the sole enlisted Navy forensic photographer with assistance from the medicolegal investigators. Once that is complete, they begin working directly with the medical examiners in house, and travelling with them wherever they are needed for regional missions.
For those 92 Mikes stationed at AFMES, the job not only comes with the technical knowledge of what it takes to complete the mission but lessons about life and what it means to serve.
“I chose this job and I do not regret it for a second,” claimed Harley. “I am very honored to do what we do.”
“As far as my experience here, it's a very humbling experience,” said Taylor. “Especially to prepare these service members to be laid to rest and let the family have closure.”
“I like that we are here,” said Whitaker, “Not just as fatality management specialists but as service members taking care of our people, making sure that they are welcomed back to their homes in the most dignified and honorable ways possible.”
“I think that this job teaches resilience,” explained Little. “For one, you see a lot of stuff as a 92M, especially here. It's probably one of the most difficult jobs that you can do in the military, from an emotional and mental standpoint. But, once you get past that, it's probably one of, if not the most, rewarding jobs in the military because at the end of the day, you are providing a service to not only the service members, but to their families. Because not only did that service member give the ultimate sacrifice, their family did as well. When you start to understand that you're giving families the ability to have closure it tends to make you appreciate the job of a 92 Mike a lot more.”
| Date Taken: | 03.30.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2026 13:20 |
| Story ID: | 561562 |
| Location: | DELAWARE, US |
| Web Views: | 25 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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