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Secretary
of the Army John McHugh announced today that he has ordered an
investigation into allegations of lost accountability of some graves,
poor record keeping and other issues at Arlington National Cemetery.
"This
is the place where valor rests, a place of reverence and respect for
all Americans," McHugh said after signing an order directing the Army's
Inspector General to begin an investigation into allegations regarding
cemetery operations. "As the final resting place of our
nation's heroes, any questions about the integrity or accountability of
its operations should be examined in a manner befitting their service
and sacrifice."
McHugh's
order comes on the heels of revelations that cemetery workers
inadvertently buried cremated remains at a gravesite already in use. The
error was discovered in May 2008, and cemetery officials immediately
took corrective measures, moving the cremated remains to another
gravesite and remarking the original grave. Since
then, questions have been raised over whether cemetery officials used
proper procedures to correct the mistake, including notifying the next
of kin.
McHugh's
announcement of the probe follows completion of separate internal
investigation by the Military District of Washington (MDW) - which the
Army released today - over the discovery of an unmarked grave.
Cemetery
officials conducted an extensive search of both internal and Department
of Veterans Affairs records, followed by the MDW investigation and
additional efforts by the cemetery, which employed ground penetrating
radar and a team of geoarchaeologists.
"Cemetery
records, the MDW investigation, and the non-invasive geophysical
analysis of the grave sites strongly indicate that a husband and wife,
who died years apart and should have been buried in the same gravesite,
were instead buried in adjacent graves," said MDW spokesman Col. Dan
Baggio.
Cemetery officials have ordered new grave markers for the site. While
exhuming the remains and conducting DNA testing would provide a 100
percent assurance of the cemetery's findings, the family has declined
taking such invasive action. The Army is abiding by their wishes.
While the unmarked grave was first discovered in 2003, cemetery officials took no action until 2009. McHugh is now directing the Inspector General to examine accountability and policy issues in that
case. The
Inspector General is also in the midst of a management review of
Arlington National Cemetery, begun under former Army Secretary Pete
Geren, to make overall recommendations on how better to operate the
facility, including possible changes in policy, procedures and
regulations.
"A
thorough investigation, and transparency in its results, can help
correct whatever may be wrong, and ensure America's confidence in the
operation of its most hallowed ground," McHugh said, adding, "We will
take appropriate action as the facts dictate."
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