Navy warrior?s quick cremation deepens mystery of Chinook disaster in Afghanistan
The Washington Times on Oct. 20 published an extensive story on the Chinook mission, based on an initial reading of a 1,300-page investigative file on the crash. Some families said they want a new investigation, not only into the mission itself, but also how the bodies of loved ones were handled.
One case in particular has raised questions. When the CH-47 Chinook was hit and spun violently at 100 feet before crashing in a fireball, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Strange was flung beyond the wreckage.
Charles Strange of Philadelphia, Michael?s father, said two Navy casualty representatives informed him that his son was ?burnt up.? Based on that information, he said, he and Michael?s mother authorized the petty officer?s cremation.
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But Mr. Strange received a shock when he received a requested copy of his 25-year-old son?s autopsy in December 2011.
?I?m reading the papers,? he said. ?His lungs are intact. His spleen is OK. Ribs are all right. I?m like, ?What??
?I looked at the picture. And my son did not have to be cremated. He was laying there. His one ankle was messed up. But he was laying there like he had a gun in his hand. He wasn?t burnt at all.?
The U.S. Central Command?s report on the crash, made public in September 2011, did not mention of the condition of Petty Officer Strange?s body.
In the report, an Army Ranger sergeant talked about counting 38 ?skulls and C-spines? at the scene of the crash. Besides the 30 Americans, seven Afghan special forces soldiers and an Afghan interpreter were killed on the flight, which was assembled quickly to aid Rangers rounding up fleeing Taliban fighters.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/3/questions-about-navy-officers-cremation-deepen-mys/
