Missing Bodies Plague Arlington National Cemetery, Probe Finds

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: CBS

The scandal at Arlington National Cemetery is one of those "say it ain't so" stories.

The investigation by the Army's Inspector General which will be released later today reveals a dysfunctional management system behind what is arguably America's most sacred ground - everything from missing remains to lying under oath to sexual harassment. A handful of cases, about five, have already been identified in which remains were misplaced - a casket found in what was thought to be an empty grave, a burial urn dumped in a landfill, remains moved without the knowledge or permission of the next of kin, among them.

But a review of Arlington's antiquated paper filing system has identified 200 cases in which the paper trail fails to account for the whereabouts of remains. Now the Army will have to inspect each of those grave sites using ground penetrating radar.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20007337-503544.html

[polichick]

1. The latest example of the clusterf**k that is our government. nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Our government operating with minimal oversight, yeah. :^( Conservatives really screwed everything

the heck up.

[Lagomorph]

13. I'm not so sure....

....just laying it at conservative's feet makes us feel all warm and fuzzy, but I don't think it gets to the root of the problem.

The government has a lot of inertia. It becomes more obvious when someone actually tries to change it's course or slow it down. It is neither responsive, nor does it address the problem we seek to resolve.

Every time we turn people loose to address an issue, they simply get caught in the current and swept downstream.

What it's really good at is replicating and entrenching itself.

Obama said "this is what we need to do"...but the government can't (or won't) overcome it's own gravity.

Some solutions are pretty obvious, but even those can be impossible to implement.

[notadmblnd]

3. Does anyone know if this was contracted out to one of those one of those

scandalous funeral corporations that Bush is heavily connected with?

[snagglepuss]

6. Good question.. nt

[Burma Jones]

8. Not exactly..................but contractors are involved

This guy Thurman Higginbotham is the real problem at Arlington, he's been long overdue for dismissal.......

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/07/16/arlington_national_cemetery

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/08/10/arlington

[notadmblnd]

12. I read the article at this link and if appeas this guy is a real creep.

http://www.lineofdeparture.com/2009/11/11/more-grave-concern-guest-blogger-mark-zaid/

[Ohio Metal]

4. ZOMBIES!

Sorry. I had to.

[sui generis]

5. definitely zombie pod people

they're not really missing - they just stepped out for a little snack.

?w=500&h=333

[burnsei sensei]

7. When the government engages

in an aggressive foreign policy, it had better be damn well prepared to take care of many dead and the wishes of many families.
I have no sympathy for the authorities in charge of Arlington National Cemetery.
They should have been preparing for this onslaught of the dead all along.

[Soylent Brice]

9. i don't even know what to say to this.

fucking ridiculous.

[rsmith6621]

10. We All Can Be Sure That Teddy and Bobby Are ......

....in the right place.......cant we???

[formercia]

11. Who knows?

For all we know, they might have been cut up for Class War Trophies.

[Dennis Donovan]

14. Metzler's dad was also Arlington Superintendent...

It's the family business, so to speak. This is an astounding story that will have quite serious repercussions!

[Rhiannon12866]

15. CNN had a story on this today.

This is as bad as it gets... ;(

[Dennis Donovan]

16. For Metzler to be fired is a big deal...

He was going to retire anyway, but they kicked his ass out before that. Here's a pic of his dad (who was also superintendent of Arlington) with JFK in 1963:



This was the visit in which JFK said "I could stay here forever," which prompted Jackie to, after his assassination, overrule the Kennedy family and bury him there instead of Boston.

[Rhiannon12866]

19. Wow. That is a big deal...

Another case of nepotism gone bad? Great pic, and that is a nice story about JFK, considering...

Trivia: Which US presidents are buried in Arlington? Probably a no-brainer, for you. :)

[Dennis Donovan]

20. JFK and Cheney?

:D

This guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6MsGsNkFqI

[Rhiannon12866]

21. Yup, only the two.

You'd think that there would have been more... :shrug:

BTW, who was the first U.S. president licensed to fly an airplane? :)

[Dennis Donovan]

22. Ike

:)

[Rhiannon12866]

23. LOL.

You're good at this, no big surprise. Those are two of the questions I asked the gas price folks. This one is slightly harder. Which U.S. president was issued a speeding ticket while in office? ;)

[Dennis Donovan]

24. The same one who probably should've gotten a DWI at the same time...

US Grant. :D

[Rhiannon12866]

25. Wow! I'm impressed!

It took the gas price folks quite awhile to get that one... :hangover:

What other president, besides Grant, was arrested while in office? x(

[IndianaGreen]

17. Say it ain't so!

I have no words to describe how I felt when I first read this story. I certainly did not expect this at one of our national cemeteries, much less Arlington.

:mad:

[Dennis Donovan]

18. Here's a pic of the disgraced superintendent with his role model: