Graves Registration: An Issue That Will Not Die,

Abstract

Mass casualties on future battlefields will quickly overwhelm the graves registration capabilities of US Army forces as presently structured. The specter of thousands of dead American soldiers unidentified, unattended, and unevacuated, would have a disastrous impact on the fighting force, both in terms of morale and commitment. This paper addresses the historical perspectives of the Army's Graves Registration problems--lessons learned but forgotten, and the inadequate structure, staffing, and training of Graves Registration units. To overcome these deficiencies, four potential Graves Registration force multipliers are proposed. These multipliers include: (1) The need to accept mass casualty burials as the primary means of temporary disposition of remains; (2) Develop better identification techniques and procedures; (3) Reduce required paperwork; and (4) Increase Graves Registration capability by using Host Nation Support or composite units. These alternatives, realistically applied, have the potential to reduce the Army's current Graves Registration dilemma. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 05, 1986
Accession Number
ADA168688

Entities

People

  • Earl B. Burch

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Battlefields
  • Casualties
  • Cemeteries
  • Combat Areas
  • Combat Forces
  • Employment
  • Force Structure
  • Identification
  • Lessons Learned
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Personnel Management
  • Second World War
  • Training
  • Vietnam War
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Archaeological Resource Survey
  • Computer Vision.
  • Strategic Security Studies