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John Glenn's body rekindles military mortuary scandal
Source: Washington Post
John Glenn’s body rekindles military mortuary scandal
By Craig Whitlock May 26 at 1:43 PM
A scandal involving the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, the main point of entry for U.S. troops killed overseas, has rekindled with controversy over the care of astronaut John Glenn’s body.
On Monday, the Air Force reassigned the mortuary branch chief at the base in Delaware and opened an investigation into whether he improperly offered to allow a team of inspectors to view the embalmed corpse of Glenn, a former senator from Ohio.
Glenn, 95, died Dec. 6. But his widow, Annie, wanted to wait until April 6, the couple’s wedding anniversary, to bury the retired Marine pilot and astronaut at Arlington National Cemetery. So his body was transferred to the Dover mortuary for safekeeping.
In early March, a team of Pentagon inspectors was visiting the mortuary when the branch chief, William Zwicharowski, asked whether they wanted to view Glenn’s body. Military officials said the inspectors were shocked by the offer, which they declined but reported as a breach of protocol.
The Air Force inspector general is now investigating the incident and other unspecified management practices at the mortuary, officials said.
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By Craig Whitlock May 26 at 1:43 PM
A scandal involving the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, the main point of entry for U.S. troops killed overseas, has rekindled with controversy over the care of astronaut John Glenn’s body.
On Monday, the Air Force reassigned the mortuary branch chief at the base in Delaware and opened an investigation into whether he improperly offered to allow a team of inspectors to view the embalmed corpse of Glenn, a former senator from Ohio.
Glenn, 95, died Dec. 6. But his widow, Annie, wanted to wait until April 6, the couple’s wedding anniversary, to bury the retired Marine pilot and astronaut at Arlington National Cemetery. So his body was transferred to the Dover mortuary for safekeeping.
In early March, a team of Pentagon inspectors was visiting the mortuary when the branch chief, William Zwicharowski, asked whether they wanted to view Glenn’s body. Military officials said the inspectors were shocked by the offer, which they declined but reported as a breach of protocol.
The Air Force inspector general is now investigating the incident and other unspecified management practices at the mortuary, officials said.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/john-glenns-body-rekindles-military-mortuary-scandal/2017/05/26/fa1ca10e-4218-11e7-adba-394ee67a7582_story.html
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