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Memories of 9/11 resonate with Dover Port Mortuary staff
Posted 9/11/2011
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by Christin Michaud
Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Public Affairs
9/11/2011 - DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AFNS) -- A decade ago, less than a dozen people worked in a modest building that sat on a few acres of land behind the fence at the end of Atlantic Avenue.
That's how William Zwicharowski described the facility where the solemn duty of honoring the fallen was performed. Zwicharowski, an embalmer at the time, is one of the few employees who still support the Dover Air Force Base Port Mortuary mission 10 years later.
Although the tragic loss associated with war isn't new to the people who have the honor of caring for the fallen, they were about to experience some changes.
The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, brought the tragedy to that modest building, with the remains of the 184 lives lost at the Pentagon.
"Disaster is no stranger to Dover (AFB)," Zwicharowski said. "And no death is any more or less important than another, but the Pentagon incident was especially challenging due to the fact that we had women and children along with Soldiers, Sailors and civil servants. What made it worse was that we had the remains of the terrorists who planned and executed that cowardly act.
"Everyone remembers the solemn sound of the helicopters flying over Dover, carrying the remains of the victims to Dover Air Force Base," he said. "That sound, that sight, took the nightmare from our televisions to reality here at Dover (AFB). It was here and it was real."
The reality invoked reactions and emotions no one could expect.
"I'll never forget that day," said Kevin McGarrigle, a technical operations officer. "I thought a pilot had somehow lost control of his plane and flew into one of the towers. When I watched the second plane hit, we all knew it was no accident. Once the shock of what just happened subsided, the only emotion I felt was anger."
In a matter of days the support staff increased to more than 150 personnel.
"Since there was a finite amount of space in the old mortuary for people to work, we had to rent four mobile home trailers to handle the overflow of administrative and operations staff, FBI and medical examiner personnel," said McGarrigle, who was instrumental in spinning up telephone and information technology systems with the help and support of the 436th Communications Squadron members.
"Most of what happened that first week following the attack is a blur now," he said. "But I can tell you that being a part of that event was therapeutic for me. It made me feel like I was contributing to the fight against those that had attacked us and that meant a lot."
The number of service members who were killed in combat increased after the onset of the Global War on Terrorism. To meet the demand of increase mortuary services, a new facility was built in 2003. The Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs replaced the 48-year old building that once housed the mission.
"Looking back, the old mortuary was in nearly every aspect quite primitive compared to the new facility," McGarrigle said. "However, I'm sure those who worked there would not have traded the experience for anything, and those that did work in the old place wear that experience like a badge of honor."
Tracking of remains evolved from word documents, spreadsheets and databases to a state-of-the-art Mortuary Operations Management System. Technology improved from wet film x-rays to digital imagery, and the mission that once was assigned to the 436th Services Squadron became its own Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations unit in 2008.
What didn't change was the professionalism of the people who work here and the way in which each fallen service member is cared for.
"The fallen who come through our doors always have been and always will be treated with the utmost dignity, honor and respect," McGarrigle said.
"It has been a tremendous experience for me," said Deb Murphy, an adminstrative assistant. "It is an honor to know we do our best to give the families peace of mind when we are able to get the fallen heroes home quicker to their loved ones."
Since 9/11, the remains of 6,889 fallen have passed though Dover.
"If the terrorists who planned and committed that cowardly act think that they have diminished us or degraded us in any way, they are wrong, Zwicharowski said.
"If we have learned to appreciate our freedom, pray and thank God more, if we get goose bumps when we say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem, or if we hug our children more often or tighter, then they didn't win," he said. "We did!"
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