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Military Won't Cremate Infected Corpses Newsmax WiresWASHINGTON -- The military will not cremate any soldiers who may die from smallpox or other biological weapons if there is a war with Iraq. However, the Defense Department is still working with myriad government agencies to make sure the corpses can be transported and handled safely without spreading the disease in the United States, a top Pentagon health official said Thursday. "There are no plans for cremation or incineration or deep pit burial or anything of that sort," William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said at a Pentagon news conference. Winkenwerder said the policy is not quite final, as the Defense Department is still working out the health and safety issues with the national Centers for Disease Controls, the Homeland Security Agency and other government agencies that may have oversight. "We are still working with authorities in the U.S. with respect to a couple of remaining issues that principally relate to once a body was returned to the United States, how that would be handled when one has to go back to the local community or through a state," he said. "We believe, backed by science, that there are fully safe ways to return any contaminated remains to the United States," he said. Winkenwerder would not say specifically what arrangements have been made to handle the potentially infectious corpses. A report earlier this month that the military was considering cremation as a means to control the spread of infectious diseases on and off the battlefield raised a chorus of criticism from military families and veterans advocacy groups which want remains returned for burial with full honors. Nearly 250,000 U.S. troops have deployed to the Persian Gulf region. Almost all of them have received inoculations for smallpox and anthrax, among other diseases. Smallpox and anthrax are judged to be the most likely biological weapons Iraq could use against U.S. soldiers. Soldiers are not only vaccinated against the threats but are also traveling with protective suits and gas masks and battlefield warning systems that should signal within 15 minutes whether biological or chemical agents are present on the battlefield. Sealed Units The military has also deployed Chemical-Protected Deployable Medical Systems, which are specially sealed units that can operate even on a contaminated battlefield. "I guess I would just say that it is not ODS (Operation Desert Storm) all over again; it is -- and we are well-prepared, and better prepared than we were then," said Lt. Gen. James Peake, surgeon general of the U.S. Army. It used to be accepted that wars would produce more non-battle-related diseases and accidents than combat injuries, said Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Michael Cowan. But health care and preparations are so good on the battlefield, "you're safer and healthier in a deployment than in your home unit in many, many cases," he said. Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
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