274 Troops’ Ashes Dumped in Landfill

Last month it was revealed that the Air Force dumped incinerated remains of American troops in a Virginia landfill, but the military downplayed just how much had been dumped. Records now show that the partial remains of at least 274 American troops were dropped in that landfill, much more than originally acknowledged. The military has put an end to using the landfill for disposing of troop remains, a practice that was never formally authorized or disclosed to senior Pentagon officials. In order to determine exactly how many soldiers’ ashes were sent to the landfill, the records of every service member to have gone through the mortuary since 2001—more than 6,300—would have to be searched.