Panetta calls for body parts investigation

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called for an independent investigation into alleged mishandling of soldier remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Counsel released a report Tuesday alleging "serious misconduct" in the handing of service members' remains at the air base. The Air Force acknowledged Wednesday the ashes of service members' body parts sometimes ended up in landfills, CNN reported.

Brig. Gen. Les Kodlick, the chief of public affairs, said the ashes were those of bones or other partial remains of service members killed in action. Until 2008, when families asked the Air Force to dispose of them, they were escorted to a crematorium near Dover Air Force Base and then given to a contractor for disposal.

The remains are now buried at sea.

"The common practice was that any residual matter remaining after incineration was disposed of by the contractor in a landfill," Kodlick said. "We could have done it better."

Three senior officials at the base were disciplined following the 18-month investigation. The three disciplined officials were then-Port Mortuary Director Quinton Keel, former Deputy Director Trevor Dean and the former Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations commander, Col. Robert Edmondson.

The investigation was conducted after allegations were raised by three whistle-blowers at the base's mortuary affairs office -- James Parsons, Mary Ellen Spera and William Zwicharowski -- regarding improper handling, processing and transport of human remains of deceased personnel and military dependents.