MCPON Visits Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center

Release Date: 2/19/2010

MCPON Visits Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center

By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW/AW) Sonya Ansarov, Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (NNS) -- The master chief petty officer of the Navy (MCPON) visited the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations (AFMAO) Center at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Feb. 16 to see the process of dignified transfers of our nation's fallen service members and the care, service and support given to their families.

MCPON (SS/SW) Rick West was accompanied by several other fleet and force master chiefs to observe and learn the way our fallen and their families are cared for, from the time the fallen are received by dignified transfer to the time they leave the center for their final resting place.

Fleet Master Chief (AW/SW/SCW) Scott A. Benning, Navy Total Force/Manpower, Training and Education fleet master chief; Force Master Chief (FMF) Ronney A. Wright, Navy Reserves force master chief; and Force Master Chief (FMF) Laura A. Martinez, the force master chief and director of Hospital Corps Bureau of Medicine and Surgery joined MCPON through the tour.

A dignified transfer is when a fallen service member's remains arrive at Dover from the Area of Operation and are solemnly, with dignity, honor and respect, transferred from the aircraft by a carry team composed of members from the same military service, wearing the same uniform as the fallen, to a specialized vehicle that transports them to the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs.

"It was an amazing and moving experience to see how our nation's fallen heroes, who make the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country, are received back to their loved ones with the honor, dignity and respect they and their families deserve," said West.

Dover's AFMAO is the Defense Department's largest joint-service mortuary facility, and the only one in the continental United States. The AFMAO has a total force staff consisting of active and reserve Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardsmen and civilians who prepare the fallen service members for transport to their final destination as determined by their families.

"The commitment, honor and pride these young Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Guardsmen have in their jobs, taking care of our fallen and their families, is commendable," said West. "I have a lot of respect for the job they do for their fellow service members and families, their service and their country."

Taking care of families and offering support is a top priority for the AFMAO. The center carefully orchestrates and coordinates each step from initial notification of death, to arranging transportation for the primary next of kin and two other family members at the DoD's expense, to observing the dignified transfer operation and escorting families to Dover, to information regarding benefits, support programs and services.

"I was extremely touched by seeing the care that goes into each step of the process of taking care of our fallen and their families," said Martinez. "The Center for the Families of the Fallen, where the families can retreat, grieve and take care of business, is a testament to the outstanding care and support the AFMAO shows the families."

There are two licensed Navy morticians assigned to AFMAO. Their job is to provide assistance and guidance to the command, the casualty assistance officers and the families.

"I am very honored to serve as the Navy's liaison/mortician and provide the best possible service to the families of our fallen Sailors and Marines," said Chief Hospital Corpsman William R. Montague, Navy mortician with AFMAO's Navy/Marine Corps Mortician Detachment.

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW) Steven Marsh, Navy mortician with U.S. Marine Corps Headquarters in Quantico, Va., temporarily assigned to AFMAO's Navy/Marine Corps Mortician Detachment, agreed that serving at AFMAO is an honor and he takes great pride in the opportunity.

"I feel the job that we do is extremely important for the fallen," said Marsh. "I am proud that even after a Shipmate has fallen, I can still be there for them, and just as important, I can be there for the families they have left behind."

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