9/11 Victims Sent to Delaware Landfill

Dover Air Force Base Mortuary Dumped 9/11 Victims' Remains in Landfill

The remains of some of the victims of 9/11, those aboard United Flight 93, were dumped in a Dover, Delaware landfill. The remains may also include those of some of the hijackers, but now we'll never know.

Those responsible for the screw-up: Dover Air Force Base. That name may be familiar:

• Dover Air Force Base Dumped Veterans' Remains in Landfill
  

Lisa Linden, a spokeswoman for Families of Flight 93, said that she was of the understanding that the remains were handled by the Somerset County Coroner's Office, and had not been handed over to Dover Air Force Base.

More problematic: Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley also say they had no idea that the remains of 9/11 passengers were sent to Dover.

Michael Donley said, "That's really where we need to focus our time, in improving
our current operations to make sure this kind of event does not occur again." In other words, "Let's not dwell on our colossal screw-up, okay?" See how that goes down with the victims' families. Our estimate: not particularly far.

The core problem here is that the Dover Air Force Base Mortuary is not very good at being a mortuary. The base is used to paying settlements to the families of dead veterans whose remains it has mishandled, so base's staff knows the routine by this point.