President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer and met with the families of four U.S. service members killed in the Middle East during a solemn ceremony Wednesday morning at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Transfer with dignity, or the return of fallen service members to the United States, is one of the most solemn procedures in the U.S. military.
At least 18 U.S. military personnel have been killed and an estimated 500 injured in the Iran war that began on February 28.
According to reports, the dignified transfer in Dover is the third to be attended by President Trump since the start of Operation Epic Fury. This will be the seventh time President Trump has attended during both presidential terms.
Here is a picture of the majestic transfer.
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“For me, this is one of the most difficult things to do as president, but we have to do it,” Trump told reporters as he departed for Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer.
It’s not a “ritual”
The dignified transfer is not a ceremony, according to the Air Force Mortuary Services Directorate.
The group said it was considered “a solemn move in the event of the removal of the deceased member by an evacuation team made up of military personnel from each of the armed forces.”
All U.S. service members who die in the field of operations will be transported with dignity. The senior officer of the military branch of the fallen member will oversee the dignified transfer of each.
How does a dignified transfer take place?
AFMAO said Pentagon policy requires that fallen soldiers be returned home as soon as possible.
According to AFMAO, the repatriation process typically begins with a route that “typically includes a stop at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.”
Ramstein Air Base, near Kaiserslautern in southwestern Germany, is about 130 miles southwest of Frankfurt. It is a major airlift hub for the United States and serves as the headquarters for U.S. Air Forces in Europe.
Flight time from Ramstein AB to Dover Air Force Base is approximately 9 to 10 hours. After landing, a seven-person evacuation team from the military branch to which the fallen service member belonged will individually remove each transfer case, draped with the national flag, from the aircraft. The team loads it into a transport vehicle.
Vehicles transport the deceased to the mortuary for positive identification and preparation for burial.
The final burial decision is made by the military personnel’s designated disposal authority.
The policy governing media presence during dignified transfers was changed by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in February 2009. The revised policy now allows military families to decide whether to allow media coverage of the removal process in Dover.
Contributors: Francesca Chambers, Joey Garrison
Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research. Reuters; U.S. Central Command; Air Force Mortuary Services
