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DEL.ICIO.USLife in war zone means dealing with death
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Camp Taqaddum, Iraq — The two Marines arrive at midnight, carrying a black body bag on a stretcher.
They put it on a stand over a pile of sawdust, placed there to absorb spills. Inside the bag lies a young American killed in combat. His hands are draped across his chest, almost as if he were sleeping. Lance Cpl. Chris McGlauchlen, 19, of Morgan County, Ga., straps on a light blue surgeon’s mask, turns to another Marine and asks, “Are you ready?”
For these Marine reservists from a Marietta-based unit, life in the war zone means dealing with death on a daily basis.
Their Personnel Retrieval and Processing Company, the first of its kind, has the emotionally draining job of collecting the bodies of service members, cataloguing the remains and shipping them back to the United States for burial or cremation.
In past wars, most Marine units recovered the bodies of their own troops, a stressful task that can delay their missions. Now, these Marines free up their comrades to focus on fighting.
While they are not in front-line combat, these Marines must deal with other risks, most of them emotional.
Some say they feel alienated from other Marines because of what they do. They say troops from other units give them strange looks, avoid them or refuse to enter the building where they handle the remains.
For others, it’s the difficulty of dealing with the finality of death.
“The thing that bothers me is I have to know their names. And my memory is really good. I don’t want to know their names,” said Pfc. Vincent Carroll, 20, a construction worker from Dallas, Ga.
Carroll inventories body parts and personal belongings of the dead. He deals with the details of a dead person’s life: dog tags, family photos, wedding rings.
“For me, we are the only family they have right now,” he said. “We are trying to get them ready so they can go home as soon as possible.”
Since arriving in February, these Marines have handled more than 25 sets of human remains at this sprawling air base and at two other camps in western Iraq’s violent Anbar province. The dead have included U.S. and Iraqi troops and civilians, even insurgents. Some died from grisly, catastrophic wounds. Others appeared unscathed.
Carroll and his fellow Marines say they are handling the stress better than they expected. They heard horror stories during training at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., in January. Their instructors warned them not to make emotional connections with the dead so they wouldn’t later grapple with haunting memories.
But one Marine now associates the smell of diesel with dead bodies because his unit stores corpses in large refrigerators powered by the fuel. He also found himself identifying with a dead man who was carrying love notes from his girlfriend.
After viewing the dismembered, headless body of a man killed by a roadside bomb, a second Marine dreamed of dodging bombs with his own wife and infant daughter and stepping over the man’s corpse. He said he hallucinated the next day, seeing a stray part of the victim’s body that wasn’t there.
A third Marine had trouble after seeing an officer pray over a dead Marine he commanded. The image was too personal for him.
“Sometimes, to me, it doesn’t even look real. I picture that I am back in training and it isn’t real. I guess that is my defense mechanism,” said Lance Cpl. Adam Dierks, 23, of Virginia Beach.
Their officers are trying to keep their spirits up while making their headquarters appear less gloomy.
They have remodeled the inside of their building, a former Iraqi hangar. For privacy, they built plywood walls around their lab. They installed more lights inside to rid the place of its shadowy atmosphere. They removed green sandbags from the roof that spelled out: “No One Left Behind.” And they have stopped a longstanding practice in Fallujah of writing on a wall the names of all dead U.S. service members they send home.
“You talk about tormenting yourself. That is a self-inflicted wound,” said Maj. Eric Young, 33, of Pittsburgh, an energetic officer who is trying to keep his Marines mentally fit while preserving the dignity of what they do.
“It’s what you make of it, and if you want to hang your head, you could bring a lot of people with you and leave here with some real issues.”
The Marines assigned to this unit try to ensure that each set of remains is treated with dignity. But the bodies of dead Americans are given special honors.
The ceremony for the dead Americans begins as soon as the Marines learn that another body is on the way.
One Marine removes an American flag from a plastic bag and spreads it across a makeshift plywood table, meticulously smoothing out the creases and wrinkles. The flag is then starched and ironed before it is fitted over a silver, coffin-shaped case that will hold their “angel,” their name for dead service members.
And then they wait for the remains to arrive in a still, nearly soundless airplane hangar, quietly bracing themselves for what they will see.
Once the remains are removed from the body bag, one Marine begins an inventory of the man’s personal belongings. He spreads them across an examination table. Dollar bills, credit cards, an identification card with the man’s photo.
A noncommissioned officer from the dead man’s unit quietly steps into the lab to identify him. “How are you doing? Do you need anything,” Young asked the man.
“I’m fine,” the man replied before confirming the victim’s identity and fading into the background. With the inventory complete, the Marines zip up the body bag.
“One, two, three,” McGlauchlen says as he and others lift the bag and place it in the transfer case. They also tuck the man’s personal belongings and some official documents into the case.
A Marine reaches out and smoothes some faint wrinkles forming on the flag atop the case. The men crowd around it, their heads bowed. A chaplain steps into the lab.
“Oh, God of grace and glory,” begins 1st Lt. Aristides Fokas, 42, a chaplain from Lancaster, Pa. “We thank you for giving him to us, his family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before.”
Led by Cpl. Mike Cullinane, 37, of Marietta, six Marines lift the metal case and march with it into the early morning darkness outside. Two others open the doors to an immense white refrigerator, almost the size of a tractor-trailer. Several stand at attention, solemnly watching the ritual, their faces bathed in bright light pouring out of the cooler.
With the body safe inside, the Marines break formation, filing quietly back to their headquarters. Some linger outside, dragging on cigarettes to combat the stress. Others crash hard on couches in a dimly lit dayroom, quickly falling asleep.
They will not rest long. They are about to repeat a similar ceremony for the same man at the airfield. A plane is coming to take him home.
Comments
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By A thankful American
March 24, 2006 08:21 PM | Link to this
I don’t have the words to convey my feelings toward these special soldiers. A simple thank you is not enough. May the Lord bestow special blessings upon them for the job they are doing in Iraq. I hope that when they return home they will be able to put the unpleasant memories behind them and only remember that they honored each fallen soldier as they prepared them for their last journey.
By "Momma Kat" Orr
March 24, 2006 09:22 PM | Link to this
Again, I’m speechless. {{{{{hugs}}}}} to ALL. You are in my prayers.
Momma Kat
By Jennifer
March 24, 2006 11:17 PM | Link to this
May God bless and comfort all of you in the job you do. It means more than you can imagine to the families at home that you care enough to do this duty. Semper fi.
Daughter of a US Marine, Vietnam
By My Opinion
March 24, 2006 11:21 PM | Link to this
Thank you for this article, Jeremy. This has to be sad but necessary duty. God bless these Marines and help them deal with the stress now and in the future. Mortuary duty takes a special person.
God bless those who gave their all and those who identify and prepare them to come home. Bless those who are still there and keep them safe. Semper Fi!!!!!!!!!
Once a Marine - always a Marine.
By Bill
March 25, 2006 12:46 AM | Link to this
From Korea to now you never get uswed to the dead. You ,if you are fortunate, will pass it to the back of your mind and get on with life. You will never forget it. God bless our great men and women of the military services and I pray for all of you. Old 73 year old sarge.
By A Concerned Father
March 25, 2006 01:26 AM | Link to this
These guys have to be some of the toughest Soldiers we have serving in Iraq. I realize being in a fire fight is scary, but having to deal with the remains (some just nothing but parts)of our fallen comrades on a daily basis has to affect the psyche beyond comprehension. A major concern I have is are we(the public) and the Militarty (their superiors)going to help them past this when they return from Iraq. Are we going to supply the profesional assistance they need. Or are we going to just refer them to the VA, which is already under-budgeted and understaffed. I’m really concerned about the Soldiers of the 48th BDE who have already begun returning to Ft Stewartand the others who will follow in the coming weeks. I understand they will return, spend a few hours with their families, and remain on post for 4-5 days for processing out. They will be returning to their homes to “de-stress”. Although we all want them back in their communities as soon as possible (as do they), who are they going to turn to if they need psychological help or couseling? Active Military Units return to their “Active Units” where they will be observed and monitored for 1-2 months before beginning their next assignment. This is the way it should be done. I strongly feel the 48th Bde Commanders are doing their Soldiers an injustice by not requiring them to remain on active duty for a few more weeks and requiring them to undergo medical and psychological examinations. They should also be required to attend classes to assist them in returning back to their civilian lives, jobs and families and what they should do if they develop problems. Additionally, the Family Assistance Groups should have been preparing the families for theirs Soldiers return and what they might expect. The process of de-stressing can be hard and can cause inappropriate behavior if not dealt with professionally. It can have tremendous effects on family and friends. Let’s do what we can to make their transition back to home life comfortable. Please, just because these wonderful, dedicated, unselfish Citizen Soldiers are returning home, keep them in your Prayers and thoughts. They need our support now as much(if not more)than they did when they were deployed to Iraq. To the Soldiers of the 48th BDE: Thank You for your service to this Country and to the Free People of Iraq. May God shed his richest blessings on you and yours in the days to come.
By CC
March 25, 2006 05:37 AM | Link to this
I am saddend to think that these young men/women will carry a lot of terrible images with them for the rest of thier lives.
I think our politicians should go and help this unit for a day, Bush should help for a week. Then maybe, he would push harder to find an end to the war he wanted us in. And he could quit with the “people workin hard doin a lot of hard work.”
He has no idea. These young soldiers do.
By Melissa Young
March 25, 2006 10:02 AM | Link to this
This is a really difficult and heartwrenching job. I am so proud that we have such good Marines to do this job with honor. Every one of our “Angels” deserve to be treated as a Hero. Thank you for making sure that happens. Thank you for doing the job that so many would not wish to do. You are truly heros in my eyes.
By 48th soldier's wife
March 25, 2006 10:38 AM | Link to this
God Bless all of you. You have more strength and courage then I could ever imagine. May God return you home safe to your loved ones.
By "Momma Kat" Orr
March 25, 2006 07:01 PM | Link to this
Hey y’all…i found these two beautiful poems and wanted to share them witih everyone…. i thought they were very comforting…When I must leave you for a little while, Please do not grieve and shed wild tears And hug your sorrow to you through the years, But start out bravely with a gallant smile; And for my sake and in my name Live on and do all things the same, Feed not your loneliness on empty days, But fill each waking hour in useful ways, Reach out your hand in comfort and in cheer And I in turn will comfort you and hold you near; And never, never be afraid to die, For I am waiting for you in the sky!
-Helen Steiner Rice
Do not stand by my grave and weep I am not there, I do not sleep I am a thousand winds that blow I am a diamond glint on snow I am the sunlight on ripened grain I am the gentle Autumn rain. When you awake in the morning hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight I am the soft starshine at night Do not stand by my grave and cry I am not there … I did not die.
-Anonymous
By Carol
March 25, 2006 07:27 PM | Link to this
God Bless them. Please let this end soon.
By Big Six in IL
March 27, 2006 12:20 AM | Link to this
This is, quite possibly, one of the best stories on the war I have ever read. The soldiers, their duty, and the delicate touch of the writer convey so much.
By 48th BCT Soldier
March 27, 2006 04:18 AM | Link to this
I just want to take time out to Thank A Concerned Father. What he is saying is the true. Please, Please be there for your soldier! It will not be easy. Just thinking about it for me makes me tear up. I may be online and I get to thinking about stuff and it will start. So again PLEASE offer as much help that you can!
Thanks again Concrned Father
By 48th wife
March 27, 2006 07:21 AM | Link to this
To Concerned Father: As for your questions about the returning of the soliders and the Family Assistance groups. I just attended a Family Reunion Training on 3-18-06 where they discussed the reunion of the soliders into civilian life,this was conducted by BDE officails and Chaplains, so there is help for the families. The soldiers are attending similar classes in Iraq. So they are preparing them before they ever get to Ft.Stewart. They will be drilling in June, July and Aug. just to be observed by mental health officials. There is also a thing called “stop loss” that last 120 days from the last day of active duty where they can still get help from military officials as if they were still active duty. So they are getting more help than the 4-5 days at Stewart. They have actually been going through classes for about 1 month now.
By Kat
March 27, 2006 08:25 AM | Link to this
48th Wife — that’s good to know, that they have been preparing for their return, even before they come home. I have always very strongly felt taht “supporting our troops” means also supporting them not only while they are deployed, but also once they are home. They leave the war; the war will not leave them! :-(
My thoughts and prayers are with each and every Soldier and family member.
Momma Kat loganville ga Yikes!
By Sheryl
March 27, 2006 08:23 PM | Link to this
While reading this story I felt such chills as I have never known. In my job I deal with death as well so I can understand what these soldiers go through. Whether or not you have ever met the person in life you come to know them well in death. Sometimes too well. I commend these soldiers for the job they do. It is not a job many others would envy. We at home thank you for taking care of our loved ones and making sure that they come home to us, one way or the other. Thank you.
By A Concerned father
March 28, 2006 07:58 PM | Link to this
TO 48th WIFE: I understand they are preparing the troops in Iraq. However, my daughter-in-law and several of her fellow wives have not been notified of any such program in Middle Ga. FAMDET has both her email address and telephone numbers. I’m glad you had the opportunity to attend a session but it is apparent they are not being conducted state wide. If they are they are not getting the word out to all the families. Several wives would like to attend some of the gatherings they have held but they don’t wish to travel 70+ miles to attend them. They need to have the gatherings closer to their units locations.