COMMENTARY: A Chaplain\’s View

By Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Richard Cavens 

Alaska Air National Guard

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del., Sept. 14, 2010 – A day off is a cherished and holy time when you are deployed to the Air Force Mortuary Operations Center here.

Every military death overseas, from Alpha to Omega, comes through this mortuary. A new part of the mortuary mission, added a couple of years ago, is having families invited to see the arrival of their fallen loved one come home to U.S soil.

My primary duty as a chaplain here at the mortuary is working with the grief-shocked families when they watch the dignified transfer, but sometimes I\’m with the fallen as I help move gurneys and work with the people working with the fallen servicemembers.