Imagine spending a month in a remote area of the Amazon Jungle with all of its dangerous surroundings . . . crossing a glacier in the freezing temperatures of the Himalayan Mountains by horseback and on foot . . . spending in excess of 220 days a year in some of the most remote and harshest areas in the world . . . Who would do these incredible feats?

These feats are completed every year by the people of the US Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, referred to as CILHI.

Their missions are “to search for, recover and identify remains of American military personnel, certain American civilian personnel, and certain allied personnel unaccounted for from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Southeast Asia, and other conflicts and contingencies.  They are to conduct humanitarian missions as directed by higher government authority, and they are to provide technical assistance in these matters as requested by appropriate geographic commander-in-chief.”

It often takes years to actually go through this process.  But, through this process CILHI recovered the frozen remains of five U.S. airmen killed during World War II in the Himalayan Mountains. 

And a CILHI team excavated the wreckage of a B-24 Liberator that crashed in Brazil in April 1944.  In a isolated area of the Amazon Jungle, CILHI personnel recovered identification media, personal effects, and human remains that led to the identification of the U.S. crewman lost in the incident.

I feel with all of their accomplishments that we should take a closer look at the people leading the teams responsible for "bringing them home." 

CILHI, established at Hickam AFB, Hawaii in May of 1976, is divided into four major sections: 

 1.      Command and Support              

 2.      Search and Recovery Operations

  3.      Casualty Data Analysis              

   4.      The Laboratory                         

Search and Recovery Operations

This section consists of teams that go out on excavations and often work under "strenuous and dangerous conditions."  Many of the crash sites are located in remote, mountainous terrain, not all of the locals are friendly, and unexploded materials exist in great quantities.

Each team consists of the team leader, the anthropologist, the team noncommissioned officer in charge, mortuary affairs specialists, a special forces or ranger-qualified medic and a photographer.  A linguist, an aircraft wreckage analyst and an explosive ordnance technician may also be on the team as needed.

Casualty Data Analysis

These Analysts maintain personnel, medical and dental files on deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been recovered and identified.  With the many thousands of unrecovered remains from each war, this is not an easy job.   The analysts research their records to compile names and background data on specific loss situations and determine which service member’s scenario best matches the information provided.  The individual’s last known location is plotted on a map and circled, then the files of all service members who were last known to be in that location are then screened by the analysts.  The records are then given to the scientific staff for use in their analysis.

Laboratory Section

This section consists of forensic anthropologists and forensic odontologists.  The scientists are supported by administrative personnel.

When remains are received the anthropologists and odontologists attempt to establish individual identities using standard recognized forensic techniques and procedures, along with state-of-the-art computers, microscopes, and radiological equipment.

“Although the emerging field of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) technology is proving to be an invaluable tool in the identification process, dental radiographic comparison continues to be the mainstay of the identification process.”

Q and A

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY FIND EVIDENCE?  

Once the analysis is complete, these scientists then present their findings to the Scientific Director, a board certified forensic anthropologist.  The Director looks at all the information given and decides if the evidence will support identification or not.

When the director decides that there is sufficient evidence, the director compiles an identification case file.  It is then forwarded through the Deputy Commander of the CILHI to the Commander of the CILHI, then sent to the Director, Casualty and Memorial Affairs Operations Center (CMAOC), for administrative review and comment.

The Director of CMAOC then forwards the case file to the Service Mortuary Affairs Office, who in turn personally notifies the family of the CILHI’s identification.  

WHAT IF THE FAMILY DISAGREES WITH THE FINDINGS?

The family can either choose to agree or disagree with the findings, or they can choose to have their own expert review the file.  If they disagree, the case is sent to Armed Forces Identification Review Board (AFIRB) for arbitration, located in Virginia.  This board consists of senior military officers with one voting member from each service.  

CILHI “remains committed to the fullest possible accounting of all of the service members killed in defense of their country.”

Reference:  CILHI "Not to be Forgotten" Pamphlet

For more information, please visit their site at www.cilhi.army.mil

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