lunes, 5 de diciembre de 2016

USS Oklahoma 75 Years later: DNA is not just science, it's personal | Health.mil

USS Oklahoma 75 Years later: DNA is not just science, it's personal | Health.mil
Health.mil

USS Oklahoma 75 Years later: DNA is not just science, it's personal

Todd Weiler, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and Ronald Keohane, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy; listen to Deborah Skillman, Director, Casualty, Mortuary Affairs and Military Funeral Honors from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, explain the display board of confirmed USS Oklahoma remains identified by the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory Nov. 4, 2016, at Armed Forces Medical Examiner System on Dover Air Force Base, Del. Weiler and Keohane received briefings and met with personnel at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, AFMES and the Joint Personal Effects Depot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik)
Todd Weiler, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and Ronald Keohane, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy; listen to Deborah Skillman, Director, Casualty, Mortuary Affairs and Military Funeral Honors from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, explain the display board of confirmed USS Oklahoma remains identified by the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory Nov. 4, 2016, at Armed Forces Medical Examiner System on Dover Air Force Base, Del. Weiler and Keohane received briefings and met with personnel at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, AFMES and the Joint Personal Effects Depot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik)

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. –The USS Oklahoma was hit by multiple torpedoes and capsized during the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, resulting in the loss of 429 Navy and Marine personnel. Seventy-five years later the Department of Defense DNA Registry under the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System is still hard at work to bring those servicemen home to their families.
Sean Patterson, AFMES DoD DNA Registry DNA analyst, said he designed and created a board dedicated to the history of the USS Oklahoma as well as an identification board to remind people these are not just words on a page or DNA sequences that come up on their screens.
Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department of Defense DNA Registry DNA analyst, stands in front of the USS Oklahoma Identification Board Nov. 29, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The board provides a picture for all 393 unaccounted service members from the ship. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashlin Federick) Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department of Defense DNA Registry DNA analyst, stands in front of the USS Oklahoma Identification Board Nov. 29, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The board provides a picture for all 393 unaccounted service members from the ship. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashlin Federick)
“I think in any job it is easy to just go through the motions of looking at what is in front of you, stamping it and passing it on to the next person,” said Patterson. “These are people. The majority of them are young men who did not get the opportunity to have a life after high school. These are real people we are identifying and giving them back to their families.”
Of the 429 missing personnel, 36 were buried and identified in the years immediately following the incident. This left 393 buried among the unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the “Punchbowl”, making the unknowns from the USS Oklahoma the single largest group of buried unidentified servicemen from the Pearl Harbor attack.
Until recently, there were 44 graves of unknowns that contained 60 caskets directly associated with the USS Oklahoma in two areas of the Punchbowl.  All but one of these caskets was reported to contain multiple sets of unknowns. From mid-2015 through early 2016, they were all exhumed for anthropological examination of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in Hawaii, who sent bone samples to the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory under the DoD DNA Registry for DNA analysis.
Since the exhumations began AFDIL has assisted the DPAA in identifying 21 individuals and returning them to their families.
There are two boards associated with the USS Oklahoma. One is the history at Pearl Harbor and everything that happened during the attack and reasons it was difficult to identify all the personnel. The second board is considered the identification board which contains a picture for all 393 still unaccounted for individuals on the ship.
Everyone is given a white background and once identification has been made the color will change to either green or red. Green is for those identified by dental records and red is for those identified by DNA.
Patterson said the promise of no man left behind includes no man unaccounted for.
“We are doing a service to these people who have given their lives in service to our country,” said Patterson. “It is huge for us to realize that our job is not just putting data into a computer or processing something in a laboratory. These people have passed away and we are still working for them and their families.”

Sean Patterson with the USS Oklahoma Identification Board

Photo
12/2/2016
Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department of Defense DNA Registry DNA analyst, stands in front of the USS Oklahoma Identification Board Nov. 29, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The board provides a picture for all 393 unaccounted service members from the ship. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashlin Federick)
Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department of Defense DNA Registry DNA analyst, stands in front of the USS Oklahoma Identification Board Nov. 29, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The board provides a picture for all 393 unaccounted service members from the ship. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashlin Federick)
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner SystemDoD DNA Registry

Sean Patterson with the USS Oklahoma History Board

Photo
12/2/2016
Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department of Defense DNA Registry DNA analyst, stands in front of the USS Oklahoma History Board Nov. 29, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The board tells what happened to the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the difficulty of identifying the 429 service members who were lost. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashlin Federick)
Sean Patterson, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Department of Defense DNA Registry DNA analyst, stands in front of the USS Oklahoma History Board Nov. 29, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The board tells what happened to the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the difficulty of identifying the 429 service members who were lost. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ashlin Federick)
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner SystemDoD DNA Registry

Todd Weiler

Photo
12/2/2016
Todd Weiler, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, listens to Dr. Timothy McMahon, Chief of Forensic Services for the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, explain the different types of identification procedures used to identify remains recovered from the USS Oklahoma and processed by the AFDIL Nov. 4, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Del. The AFDIL, a subdivision of AFMES, is the sole Department of Defense DNA laboratory tasked with identifying human remains from current and past conflicts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik)
Todd Weiler, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, listens to Dr. Timothy McMahon, Chief of Forensic Services for the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, explain the different types of identification procedures used to identify remains recovered from the USS Oklahoma and processed by the AFDIL Nov. 4, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Del. The AFDIL, a subdivision of AFMES, is the sole Department of Defense DNA laboratory tasked with identifying human remains from current and past conflicts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik)
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner SystemDoD DNA Registry

USS Oklahoma Display Board

Photo
12/2/2016
Todd Weiler, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and Ronald Keohane, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy; listen to Deborah Skillman, Director, Casualty, Mortuary Affairs and Military Funeral Honors from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, explain the display board of confirmed USS Oklahoma remains identified by the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory Nov. 4, 2016, at Armed Forces Medical Examiner System on Dover Air Force Base, Del. Weiler and Keohane received briefings and met with personnel at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, AFMES and the Joint Personal Effects Depot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik)
Todd Weiler, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and Ronald Keohane, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy; listen to Deborah Skillman, Director, Casualty, Mortuary Affairs and Military Funeral Honors from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, explain the display board of confirmed USS Oklahoma remains identified by the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory Nov. 4, 2016, at Armed Forces Medical Examiner System on Dover Air Force Base, Del. Weiler and Keohane received briefings and met with personnel at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, AFMES and the Joint Personal Effects Depot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik)
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner SystemDoD DNA Registry

Defense Health Board History

Presentation
11/1/2016
Defense Health Board History briefing to the Defense Health Board, Nov. 1, 2016.
Related Topics:Military Medical History

Mexican-American War remains arrive in U.S. for dignified transfer

Article
9/30/2016
The skeletal remains of the possible U.S. soldiers were solemnly carried to an awaiting vehicle by the U.S. Army Old Guard ceremonial team, under the watchful gaze of senior military, university and government leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo)
The skeletal remains of the possible U.S. soldiers were transferred for examination to the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System
Related Topics:Military Medical HistoryArmed Forces Medical Examiner System

Skeletal Remains Returned to U.S. Soil

Photo
9/30/2016
On Sept. 28, 2016, approximately 170 years after the war, as many as 13 skeletal remains were returned to U.S. soil and honored during a solemn movement at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. (U.S. Air Force photo)
On Sept. 28, 2016, approximately 170 years after the war, as many as 13 skeletal remains were returned to U.S. soil and honored during a solemn movement at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner System

Skeletal Remains from the Mexican-American War

Photo
9/30/2016
The skeletal remains of the possible U.S. soldiers were solemnly carried to an awaiting vehicle by the U.S. Army Old Guard ceremonial team, under the watchful gaze of senior military, university and government leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo)
The skeletal remains of the possible U.S. soldiers were solemnly carried to an awaiting vehicle by the U.S. Army Old Guard ceremonial team, under the watchful gaze of senior military, university and government leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner System

Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory plays a vital role in Korean and Cold War identification

Article
8/19/2016
Dave McClung, nephew of Marine Master Sgt. William McClung, gets his cheek swabbed for a family reference by Kerriann Meyers, Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory Past Accounting Section assistant technical leader. McClung was one of 51 family members to give a cheek swab during the briefings. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ashlin Federick)
The Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory collects, runs and controls a database of family reference samples for past conflicts
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner SystemDNA Identifcation Laboratory

Armed Forces Medical Examiner System welcomes new director

Article
7/22/2016
Army Col. Louis Finelli (right) receives the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System guidon from Navy Rear Adm. Colin Chinn, Defense Health Agency director of research, development and acquisition, during a Change of Directorship Ceremony July 18, 2016, at the Landings on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman William Johnson)
Army Col. Louis Finelli was appointed as the new AFMES director
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner System

Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner plays a vital role in death examinations

Article
7/18/2016
Dr. Howard Harcke, Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner forensic radiologist, looks at a CT scan for diagnostic clues at the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.
Every service member and American citizen who dies in a combat zone must have a medical-legal examination performed by an Armed Forces Medical Examiner
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner SystemOffice of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner

Armed Forces Medical Examiner System unveils new seal

Article
6/6/2016
Service members from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System stand poised as they uncover the new official seal during an unveiling ceremony May26, 2016, at AFMES on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.
Service members and civilians celebrated the unveiling of the new official seal of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner Systems
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner System

AFMES Form 25: Histology Request and Specimen Storage

Form/Template
6/1/2016
Use this form to obtain information/specimens needed for histology tissue processing and/or specimen storage.
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner SystemOffice of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner

Next generation DNA sequencing

Article
3/24/2016
DoD DNA Registry, Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory Supervisory DNA Analyst, Kerriann Meyers, places samples in a cartridge before loading it on the Next Generation DNA Sequencing instrument.
The DoD DNA Registry, Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory is working with the newest innovation in Forensic DNA science, Mitochondrial DNA Hybridization Capture and Next Generation DNA Sequencing
Related Topics:Research and InnovationArmed Forces Medical Examiner SystemMedical Research and DevelopmentDoD DNA Registry

2016 Team Dover Honorary Commander inducted

Article
2/8/2016
The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Director, Army Col. Ladd Tremaine (left) welcomed Dr. Megan Williams (right) as the 2016 Honorary Commander during a ceremony, Feb. 6, 2016, at the Air Mobility Command Museum on Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Zachary Cacicia)
The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System welcomed Dr. Megan Williams as the 2016 Honorary Commander
Related Topics:Armed Forces Medical Examiner System

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