War dead cremated at facility for pets

War dead cremated at facility for pets

seattletimes.nwsource.com

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has, since 2001, cremated some of the remains of U.S. service members killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in a Delaware facility that also cremates pets, a practice that ended Friday when the Pentagon banned the arrangement.

The facility, in an industrial park near Dover Air Force Base, has cremated about 200 service members, manager David Bose said Friday night. It uses separate crematories a few feet apart to cremate humans and animals, he added.

Pentagon officials said they do not think any humans were cremated in the pet crematory. "We have absolutely no evidence whatsoever at this point that any human remains were at all ever mistreated," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said late Friday.

Despite Bose's estimate, officials said they do not know the number of service members cremated at the Kent County facility, identified on a billboard as Friends Forever Pet Cremation Service.

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Personally, if I were dead I doubt I would mind being creamated in a pet crematory as it would be irrelevant to me at the time.

On the other hand, I understand that it could be quite disturbing for family members who are already struggling to cope with difficulty of losing a loved one.

I'm curious to know how others would feel about this. Would you feel that this somehow violated your dignity, or would you see it as irrelevant since you have already moved on to wherever/whatever it is that comes after life?

seattletimes.nwsource.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 11-5-2008 by SystemiK]

reply to post by SystemiK
I wouldn't think that my dignity had been violated at all. But then i'm an animal lover, my dogs are part of my family, not my pets, or my property so my views may not match those of other people. It"s probably more a matter of the family that's left behind seeing it as an indignity.

Also my body is not me, it's merely a container if you will. When i'm dead i'll have no further use for it, and since i will no longer be in my body it really makes no difference to me what they do with it. I've already told my kids if i have any organs in good condition (which i doubt, smoke too much) when i die i want them donated to help others, just told them to make sure that it's only my organs, i don't wnt sum plastic surgeon makin money off my skin & bones, then burn me. Done & over, i don't want my kids left with the burden of thinking that they have to visit me at a gravesite, or feeling guilty if they don't, i won't be there anyway.

Here in Sydney vets use crematory on certain days just for pets their not mixed with humans.I can't see what the problem is,it's better than a cardboard box and a few logs burning in the open air.

From what I heard this afternoon on NPR crematoriums often handle both humans and pets, it's a very common practice. In light of all the failures of the army lately at the deplorable conditions at german hospitals and fort benning, I think they are at a heightened level of attention to details. The new policy is to allow the families requested funeral home to handle arrangements.
Can't get the Ramones 'I don't wanna be buried, in a pet cemetary' out of my head. Twisted, I know, and God knows no offense meant.