Photo By Sgt. Sean Mcguire | Staff Sgt. Melissa Meinzer, a Reno, Nev., native, and the noncommissioned...... read more read more
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – When a neatly folded American flag is given to a family member of a fallen soldier, it signifies the soldier’s last return home.
But before a service member makes his/her final journey, they must be properly cared for. And that’s where members of the 54th Quartermaster Mortuary Affairs Company, 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command come in.
The 54th QM Company, which is currently deployed to Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, is one of two mortuary affairs companies in the active-duty Army and one of nine currently in theater.
Pfc. Cassandra Goddard, a mortuary affairs specialist and a Border, Texas, native, works alongside four others in initial receiving and processing of deceased service members and civilians for COB Adder and United States Division-South.
“We have a four-hour window to process the remains, their personal belongings they had at the time of death, and ready them for a ramp ceremony to fly them out of country,” Goddard said.
Once the first four hours are in the books, there are 20 hours remaining for the team to process the service member’s personal belongings and have them flown home.
“You can’t get attached,” said Spc. Pierre Perea, another mortuary affairs specialist on the team, and native of Cobb County, Ga. “I’ve seen fellow coworkers in years past have problems on the job. I’ve had to intervene to make sure they get through the processing – you just have to get it done.”
The team, which has been at COB Adder for barely a month, works in six-month intervals; rotating out with other teams at Fort Lee, Va.
Spc. Jason Tinker, a Roseburg, Ore., native, said his team will soon take on responsibility from two other mortuary affairs locations in Iraq in addition to their current responsibilities.
“We’re going to be really busy very soon,” he said. “But we have already started packing as a pre-emptive strike.”
Tinker joined the Army after years of running his own business in general contracting, working as a firefighter, and accruing three degrees.
“I wanted to join as far back as 18 years old,” he said.
Now three years into his service, Tinker, like others he works with, said he finds total fulfillment in his job.
“While working out here, I’m not doing this for the Army – I’m doing it for the families,” Tinker said. “For us, it’s all about dignity and respect.”
Tinker also understands the nuances of his work.
“It takes a specific type of person to do this duty,” he said. “Civilians have approached me at airports and thanked me for my service. They ask me what I do, and I tell them. Then they rave about how hard it must be to do that – and they’re right.”
Tinker said that during his years of working in mortuary affairs, he’s processed hundreds of fellow service members.
“After all the work, I still see the faces. I still see their patch,” Tinker said. “I’ve run across soldiers wearing the same patch and find myself just wondering. And I know that any day could be the one where I see one of my friends.”
Despite the difficulties of his undertakings, Tinker said he still sees the positives.
“When I go to bed at night, I’m satisfied in the work I’ve done.”
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2011 04:22 |
| Story ID: | 69641 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 415 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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