A mortuary employee at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware is under investigation following the revelation of an internal memo that said he offered to show the deceased body of astronaut John Glenn to inspectors on two occasions before he was buried in April, according to a report Thursday.
The family of Glenn, who died Dec. 8, had sent his body to the base to ensure it was kept secure and private before his burial in the spring.
While Glenn was being held at the Dover facility, mortuary branch chief William Zwicharowski “offered to allow the inspectors to view the deceased,” said an internal memo by Deborah Skillman, the Defense Department’s director of casualty and mortuary affairs, the Military Times reported. The memo is dated May 11.
Skillman, as well as other junior personnel inspecting the facility, was in attendance for one of the two incidents, which occurred Feb. 28 and March 2. The inspectors in both incidents declined the offer. Skillman informed the mortuary’s deputy commander and asked him to take action.
“Concerning to me,” her memo states, “is that even after Mr. Zwicharowski was counseled by his chain of command regarding the inappropriate nature of his earlier offer, he repeated it. … This breach of protocol is serious and troubling as these offers were made to members of an official Department of Defense inspection team on-site to inspect the facility and determine whether it was in compliance with applicable procedures and policy and being well-run by its leadership.”
Recently appointed Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson has asked the service’s inspector general to investigate the matter.
