WASHINGTON — Army investigators at Arlington National Cemetery have found more than 100 unmarked graves, scores of grave sites with headstones that are not recorded on cemetery maps, and at least four burial urns that had been unearthed and dumped in an area where excess grave dirt is kept.
The investigators found that these and other miscues were the result of a “dysfunctional” and chaotic management system at the cemetery, which was poisoned by bitterness among top supervisors and hobbled by antiquated record-keeping.
As a result, John McHugh, secretary of the Army, on Thursday announced sweeping reforms at the nation’s most hallowed cemetery; a scathing reprimand for the outgoing superintendent, John Metzler; and the appointment of a new director to oversee cemetery operations and continue the investigation.
In addition, the cemetery’s deputy superintendent, Thurman Higginbotham, who apparently feuded with Metzler, was placed on administrative leave pending disciplinary review. Metzler, who has been superintendent for 19 years, announced May 5 that he would retire July 2.
McHugh said he attends every Arlington funeral of a soldier who has died in Iraq or Afghanistan. He apologized Thursday “to the families of the honored fallen” and called the failings “unacceptable.”
There were two cases, later corrected, of mismarked graves in the cemetery’s Section 60, which holds mostly Iraq and Afghanistan war dead. But the Army said it was not sure exactly when most of the other mistakes were made. Most other errors were found in Sections 59, 65 and 66.
“The other grave sites are older,” said Lt. Gen. Steven Whitcomb, the Army’s inspector general. “I’m not prepared to say they go back to the Civil War, but they’re older grave sites in some sections where there may not be as active — the number of burials — as others.”
The cemetery probe came after complaints from family members and a series of reports at detailing many of the stark blunders the Army found.
The investigation guessed that the dumped burial urns had been inadvertently dug up during the opening of an old grave so a new relative could be buried there. The urns were then deposited with the excavated dirt. One urn bore no identification and had to be reburied as “unknown.”
The cemetery’s records were poor. Cemetery maps showed 117 graves that had no corresponding headstone or burial card. Ninety-four grave sites marked as unoccupied on maps had headstones and burial cards. And the Army said it is not sure whether all such mistakes have been found.
McHugh named Kathryn Condon, a veteran civilian Army executive, to the new post of executive director of the new Army National Cemeteries Program. She will supervise Metzler until he retires.
