U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ryley Bonelli, Forensic Toxicology Technician, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, gives a shoutout to the New England Patriots at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Wednesday, October 16, 2024. (U.S. Air Force video by Staff Sgt. Deven Schultz)
Upon graduating high school and joining the U.S. military, new recruits undergo a medical day at boot camp where DNA samples are collected and stored on specimen cards. These cards are sent to the Armed Forces Repository of Specimen Samples for the Identification of Remains (AFRSSIR), which has been collecting DNA specimens since 1992 and now stores millions of cards. The repository receives up to 250,000 new specimens annually, particularly...
