Documents reveal Southeast Asian remains buried with US vet at Arlington

Stars & Stripes ^ | April 21, 2014 | Matthew M. Burke

[Timber Rattler]

Remains from an indigenous Southeast Asian were buried with those of an Army Reserve pilot from the Vietnam War at Arlington National Cemetery, America’s shrine for its fallen heroes.

According to internal POW/MIA documents, when the remains of Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Smith Jr. were turned over to investigators in Vietnam in 1999, a portion belonged to someone else.

(snip)

Laboratory anthropologist Gwen Guinan wrote in the internal memo that “subsequent to the shipment and the burial’’ it was discovered that a fragment of a leg bone that should have been separated from Smith’s remains “had been inadvertently included.’’ The memo, addressed to “record” and included in Smith’s case file, was dated Sept. 20, 2000, 12 days after Smith was buried.

No details were available on how the error was discovered or whether there is protocol that should have been followed after the discovery.

“That was a long time ago,” Guinan, who now goes by Haugen, wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes. “Unfortunately, I am unable to comment.”

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command officials, who now oversee the identification laboratory, declined to comment. Officials from the Office of the Secretary of Defense also declined to comment. Arlington Cemetery officials said they received a sealed casket and followed the protocol in interring it.

[Timber Rattler]

Nobody was responsible, I guess then.

[Popman]

Sounds like a good storyline for the show “Bones”...

I’m sure they can squeeze in a sub plot about someone being gay....

[Lockbar]

There are numerous remains of non-USA citizens buried at Arlington. The remains of British General Orde Wingate, commander of the S.E. Asia "Chindit Commandos" and some of his staff are buried at Arlington. The US transport plane he was flying on crashed, all were killed, and unidentifiable when later found. Since there were more US people on the plane than Brits, it was decided to bury all remains from the plane at Arlington.

here is a photo of the mass grave at Arlington:

[Pecos]

Well, at least we have ONE part of the government that admits it made a mistake....unlike the IRS, BLM, EPA, FBI, State Department, DoD, CIA, HHS, Treasury, Education, et al.

[Vermont Lt]

I am sure it’s not the first mistake. And it won’t be the last.

Compared to “resting” in a jungle, Arlington is pretty nice.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

When I was in high school in the 60s, a young draftee from a nearby town was killed. There was a rumor that part of him in the casket was not “his.”

[TXnMA]

So What?

[Mr. Lucky]

Exactly.

If the remains are those of someone who died along side his American brethren, his burial at Arlington is a pretty small reward.

[Organic Panic]

The Hmong were our pilots best friends if they ever got shot down. I attended a ceremony, when I was at Fresno State, recognizing a Hmong officer that led rescue forces for US pilots. They were fierce and fearless and made huge sacrifices for us.

[RobinOfKingston]

Nobody was responsible, I guess then.

There's a whole lot o' "declinin' ta comment" goin' on.

[Verginius Rufus]

The cemetery at Gettysburg (at the dedication of which Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address) was supposed to be reserved for Union dead only, but a few Confederates were accidentally buried there.