Photo By Staff Sgt. Sarah Tanwyn | TAHITI, French Polynesia-- 1st Lt. Emma Barton, the platoon leader and officer in charge of the 962 Quartermaster Company mortuary affairs team at Marara 26, welcomes guest from multiple nations to an informative brief and demonstration of mortuary affairs capabilities in Tahiti, French Polynesia, June 6, 2026. MARARA 26 is a French-led multinational exercise in French Polynesia that enhances interoperability and strengthens humanitarian assistance and disaster response capabilities among Indo-Pacific allies and partners. The exercise brings together military forces from across the region to improve readiness, strengthen relationships, and build collective crisis response capacity. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Sarah Tanwyn) see less
| View Image Page
“Gatekeepers” Hone Their Skills at Exercise Marara 26
TAHITI, French Polynesia — Seventeen Soldiers assigned to the 962nd Quartermaster Company are honing their mortuary affairs capabilities during Exercise Marara 26, a multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercise designed to strengthen readiness and interoperability across the Pacific.
These Soldiers, known as the "Gatekeepers," are mortuary affairs specialists and represent one of only six mortuary affairs units in the U.S. Army Reserve. Their mission is to recover, process and care for human remains with respect and reverence for the fallen and their families.
“Mortuary affairs is a very small MOS, But it is one of the most honorable MOS,” stated SSG Byron Castro, a mortuary affairs non commissioned officer with the 962 QM Co. “ Why I’m so passionate about mortuary affairs is just having that honor of taking care of our fallen heroes, who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country, for their families, and for our families.”
Marara 26, led by the French Armed Forces in French Polynesia, brings together military and civilian partners from across the region to improve coordination and interoperability during humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations.
During the exercise, Soldiers from the 962nd Quartermaster Company are training to establish and operate a Mortuary Affairs Collection Point on the island of Makemo in response to a simulated cyclone scenario. The training will provide an opportunity for Soldiers to refine procedures alongside the French Armed Forces in French Polynesia and develop collaborative processes that are both effective and culturally considerate.
Of the nations participating in Marara 26, the U.S. Army maintains a unique capability to rapidly deploy mortuary affairs personnel in support of disaster response operations, providing immediate recovery, processing and evacuation capabilities when requested.
For the Soldiers of the 962nd Quartermaster Company, the exercise serves as an opportunity to strengthen technical proficiency while preparing for one of the Army's most demanding and sensitive missions.
By training in a realistic multinational environment, the "Gatekeepers" are improving their ability to support future humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations while ensuring they remain prepared to care for the fallen with professionalism, dignity and respect.
