Army: Bodies Misidentified At Arlington National Cemetery

The Army announced today that at least 200 remains at Arlington National Cemetery have been misidentified or misplaced. The “sacred ground” is the burial site of over 300,000 military members who served as long ago as the Civil War, to the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a Pentagon press conference, Army Secretary John McHugh said an investigation revealed problems with 211 graves. Most surprisingly, in some cases, the service members were even buried on top of each other. McHugh called Arlington a “special place” where “some eight ceremonies a day” receive full military honors.

According to the Associated Press, defense officials said “the Army has forced out the cemetery’s two civilian leaders and appointed a new chief.” The Army also plans a “more thorough investigation of the graves in question.”

Officials say the problem has gone on for years and was first discovered in 2008. It is a result of “poor management and record keeping.” McHugh said these problems at the country’s number one memorial are “deeply troubling and simply unacceptable.”

Watch a clip of McHugh’s press conference below:

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