US Army practices digging mass graves, which have not been needed since the Korean War. (US Army photo by Captain Thomas McCarty)
What we are doing here is taking a scientific, field-tested approach so that we can maintain positive control and respectfully care for our fallen. ”
“This exercise allowed us to take a critical look at how we respect, honor, and systematically manage our fallen in a high-intensity conflict,” said Sgt. 1st Class Delbert Ruede, the senior fatality management NCO for the 3rd CSC, in a statement. “If we went to war tomorrow, we would be making this up as we went along.
In theory, a standard temporary interment plot consists of five parallel trenches designed to hold 100 casualties — ten laid on each side of a trench. During Dragon Covenant, operators from the 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, utilized D6 bulldozers, completing a full 20-remains trench in an average time of one hour and 15 minutes. “To prevent running over the remains, we expanded the trench to a 15-foot width and maintained a nine-foot pillar of undisturbed soil between each trench.
“We realized quickly that the existing measurements in the book didn’t accommodate the physical reality of the equipment,” Sgt 1st Class Delbert Ruede, the senior fatality management NCO for the 3rd CSC, said. In previous exploratory trials, units attempted excavation using standard backhoes, averaging three hours per trench for only ten remains. During the dig, the team realized they needed to adjust from published spatial standards. Doctrine originally called for a seven-foot corridor between rows, which proved two feet too narrow for a dozer’s tracks to navigate without disturbing the burial area. That undisturbed pillar allows the dozer to drive along the center corridor and cast dirt inward to backfill without exerting direct downward pressure on the remains. ”