The final body of an American service member who had been slain in Afghanistan was returned home in August after it had been carried back to Dover.
Dover Air Force Base in Delaware acts as the first point of contact within the United States in the unfortunate event that an American service member is killed in the line of duty. It is where their friends and family members, as well as VIPs and the honor guard, will be waiting for them.
The mortuary affairs team of the Air Force is responsible for performing the honorable duty of preparing the bodies of the nation’s war dead for burial in this location. In this country, Memorial Day is celebrated all year round.
According to Major Matthew Knight, who serves as the head chaplain at Dover, “There is not another mission quite like it in the military.”
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“It is an honor to serve as a living tribute to our fallen colleagues and to uphold the pledge of the United States. When the loved ones of our service members who have died come through this area, we want to ensure that they are accorded the utmost respect and treated with dignity.”