The U.S. Army has completed a test-of-concept exercise for large-scale temporary battlefield interment, the first practice of its kind since the Korean War. Conducted in North Carolina, the exercise had soldiers build plots consisting of five trenches each, designed to hold 100 bodies per plot. Troops revisited Korean War-era techniques for excavating and backfilling without damaging remains or the structure of the plots.
Chaplains and religious affairs specialists also took part, training for mass-casualty environments where they would support both the living and the fallen. Sgt. 1st Class Delbert Ruede, senior fatality management NCO for the 3rd CSC, said the exercise allowed the Army to take a critical look at how it respects, honors, and systematically manages its fallen in high-intensity conflict.
For Suncoast communities with deep military ties, including the many veterans and military families living throughout the Gulf Coast, the exercise is a sobering signal that the Army is preparing for high-intensity conflict with large numbers of casualties. It’s grim subject matter, but it speaks to a commitment to honoring service members even in the worst-case scenario. How do you feel about the military reviving this kind of training? Let us know in the comments.
