Mortaury Affairs in the US Army

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What is Mortuary Affairs?

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Many of us already know what Mortuary Affairs is. Some people visiting this site may never have known this MOS existed in the US Army. Below is a brief overview of the Mortuary Affairs Mission.

The Mortuary Affairs specialist performs duties relating to deceased personnel to include recovery, collection, evacuation, establishment of tentative identification. They also inventory, safeguard and evacuate personal effects of deceased personnel. They also serve as team members and recovery specialists at the US Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. Much of the training at the MA Center is now reflecting this assignment including many new tasks in their CTL.(CILHI)

Duties vary depending on each skill level of the MOS. (Military Occupational Specialty)

A Special thanks to Mr. Tom Bourlier at the MA Center for the update.

MOS92M10-

Conducts searches for deceased personnel, their personal effects and other identification media. Recovers remains found and records personal effects and other identification media. Evacuates remains and personal effects to collection points. Records recovery locations on maps, sketches, and overlays. Records fingerprint impressions, prepares dental/anatomical charts. Assists in the decontamination of human remains, which have been contaminated by either chemical, biological or nuclear contamination.

MOS92M20-

Plans and supervises the search, recovery, processing and evacuation of the remains of U.S. Armed Forces personnel. Ensures that personal effects are recovered, inventoried, and accounted for. Instructs in the handling and processing of contaminated remains. Assists in the preparation of remains for embalming.

MOS92M30

Selects site location, establishes and supervises collection points for the receipt, care and evacuation of human remains of US Service personnel. Serves on search and recovery teams for the repatriation of U.S. Service personnel remains of past wars and conflicts. Develops doctrinal products and presents mortuary affairs instruction in a formal academic setting. Serves as a mortuary affairs staff NCO at battalion and higher positions, advising commanders concerning mortuary affairs operations.

At higher levels, other duties of the Mortuary Affairs Specialist include: Advising Commanders and headquarters staff on mortuary affairs activities and coordinating mortuary affairs activities within the command. Coordination with non-US service authorities concerning disposition of enemy, allied, or civilian remains.

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Mission of the Mortuary Affairs Company

PROVIDE TAILORED MORTUARY AFFAIRS SUPPORT TO A BRIGADE/ DIVISION/CORPS SIZE FORCE CAPABLE OF EXCUTING THE ARMY MORTUARY AFFAIRS PROGRAM; PROVIDE TAILORED DISASTER ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAMS FOR CIVILIAN OR MILITARY MASS FATALITY INCIDENTS.

There is only 1 Active-duty Mortuary Affairs Unit in the US Army. The 54th Quartermaster Company located at Ft. Lee Virginia. This highly deployable unit has participated in many mass disasters throughout the world, including the Oklahoma City bombing, and is currently supporting missions in Bosnia, Germany and JRTC. The unit also supports Armed Forces Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) in Washington and the Office of the Chief medical Examiner (OCME) in Richmond, Va.

*MA Specialists from the 54TH QM CO. during an operation in Cape May, NJ.

Concept of Mortuary Affairs Support

Mortuary Affairs support begins at the Unit level. Members of the team, platoon, or company recover the remains of their own fatalities and evacuate those remains to the closest mortuary affairs collection point (MADCP), usually located at the nearest support area. Once the remains are received at the collection point, they will be processed by mortuary affairs specialists (92M), who will gather tentative identification information and inventory personal effects. From here, remains are evacuated as quickly as possible, using air transport when possible or retrograde convoys, to the corps and theater rear areas where the theater mortuary evacuation point (TMEP) is located on or near an aerial port of embarkation (APOE) such as an FLS or airstrip. If required, a small personal effects (PE) handling facility may be established near the TMEP to process personal effects for shipment back to the main CONUS PE Depot. Once the remains are received at the POE mortuary they are positively identified and prepared for whatever final disposition the family (or person authorized to direct disposition, PAAD) has directed.

MORE INFORMATION:

For more information on Mortuary Affairs, Visit this link to the Mortuary Affairs Center located at Ft. Lee, Virginia. This department serves as the Department of Defense training and doctrine integrating center for all services. They provide resident training to over 250 Armed Forces officers and enlisted personnel annually.

A History of the Quartermaster Graves Registration Mission

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