Holiday Heights Resident Angered By Disposal Of Veterans' Remains

My name is Thomas J. Meehan III. I am a United States Air Force veteran, SSGT. I served during the during the cold war (1962 –1968).

I am the father of Colleen Ann Meehan Barkow age 26, who was murdered on Sept. 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center. Her partial remains, her upper torso, was found on what would have been her her first wedding anniversary on Sept. 17, 2001.

I share these facts with you, so that you may understand that our lives were forever changed by the events of 2001 and what followed.

 First let me express our deepest sympathy for the families who were not notified by the United States Air Force, and the manner in which the remains were disposed of in a landfill, and classified in such a manner as to be declared part of “medical waste”.

To them the knowledge that the remains of their loved ones are forever buried in  a garbage dump, will remain with them always, and the lack of respect, for those who made the ultimate sacrifice, is almost beyond comprehension.

I have the utmost respect for the military, and the manner in which they perform their duties, and the fact that they have since amended the policy and now the remains are given a burial at sea. But the the amended policy cannot  heal, nor  console the families of the 247 soldiers whose remains are  for eternity in a dump.

You should be aware that this is not the first time this has happened. In the aftermath of 9/11 the ashen remains of those killed at the WTC -the cremated remains, bone fragments, and human tissue too small to yield DNA for identification - were separated from the debris of the attack. Then, without the consent of their families, or the benefit of religious services, they were bulldozed back into the landscape of the world’s largest garbage dump, Fresh Kills on Staten Island.

The city of New York continues to deny the remains are there. And the 1000 plus families which did not receive any remains, must now live with the reality that those we called heros on 9/11 ten years ago, like these soldiers, will lie forever  lie in garbage dumps, which are unholy and unconsecrated and without the benefit of a proper burial.

While the Air Force Command and the Defense Department have deemed that an apology is sufficient, the city of New York has yet to admit to its actions, or offer an apology.

And last but not least, are the politicians, those elected to high office, who in ten years, have abandoned the plight of the families of those lost on 9/11. They voted to give so much to the rebuilding of lower Manhattan, but failed to hold the Mayor and city responsible. They must now share in the knowledge that they have - each in their own way, and by their absence of oversight -contributed to such great pain and suffering.

What do you say to the almost 3,000 plus families, who go to a memorial in New York City, to know that the American public will have to pay an entrance fee to the “National 9/11 Museum” to pay their respects to the remains which the Medical Examiners office will have stored seven floors below grade beneath the Memorial. 

The Oklahoma City Memorial, or the Arizona, or the Tomb of the Unknown in Washington DC, or Arlington National Cemetary are free and provide access to the public to pay homage. The remains buried at each of these sites have been laid to rest with honor and the benefit of a proper burial.

But the 9/11 remains held by the New York City Medical Examiner's Office will be stored behind a wall. It will cost families and visitors to pray and pay homage, $20 or whatever the entrance fee will be.

May God in his mercy forgive those who have done such deeds, and have forgotten their pledge “Never to Forget.”  May the souls of the victims who lie in these landfills rest in peace, and may we the families find in our hearts a way  to forgive each of them.