Finding the truth for families of fallen warriors

Finding the truth for families of fallen warriors
A military forensic anthropologist seeks answers in her work with the remains of the American war dead. The news is often painful, but 'families deserve to know,' she says.

David Zucchino
July 2, 2011
Reporting from Rockville, Md.— Sometimes the remains of American war dead arrive at the military morgue intact, sealed inside a "human remains pouch" — a body bag.

Sometimes they arrive as "dissociated remains" — a leg, an arm or other body parts ripped loose by the force of a roadside bomb or suicide bomber or air crash.

And sometimes there are commingled remains of several victims of a blast or crash, including service members, civilian bystanders and, in some cases, a suicide bomber.

Air Force Lt. Col. Laura Regan literally lays hands on remains of the dead. For U.S. troops killed in action, she is among the last service members to touch them as she tries to provide families of the fallen with the full truth about their deaths.
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Finding the truth for families of fallen warriors