Note from the Director:
On behalf of the staff and volunteers at the National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology I would like to share our deep sadness over the abrupt and tragic losses endured in the recent terrorist activities at the Pentagon, in New York and in Pennsylvania. We extend our most heart-felt sympathies to the families, friends, and colleagues of the victims. But we are proud to be part of an organization that can and does respond to these unique challenges to our nation. The following article describes some of the museum's contributions. We do this as a museum with personnel of exceptional talent and backgrounds. We also respond as a component of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, which provided forensic specialty service under the leadership of the Institute Director, Navy Captain Glenn N. Wagner, D.O. at the Dover Air Force Base Port Mortuary. Dr. Wagner assembled a team including civilians and members of every branch of service to perform forensic pathology, forensic odontology, anthropology, photographic work, and DNA service for the individuals killed at the Pentagon. Their experiences, in turn, become part of the collective memory of the Institute, to be documented by the museum for lasting value to our nation and to the world.
Dr. Adrianne Noe

MUSEUM CURATOR LEADS TEAM OF PATHOLOGISTS AT SITE OF SEPT. 11 PENNSYLVANIA AIRPLANE CRASH

The final terrorist event of Sept. 11 was the crash of United Airlines flight 93. The Boeing 757, carrying 38 passengers and a crew of seven, departed Newark International Airport at 8:01 a.m. and headed toward San Francisco. After crossing into Ohio, terrorists apparently took control of the plane and redirected the flight back into Pennsylvania.

Using cell phones and onboard airfones, the hijacked passengers learned of the earlier crashes at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. After a struggle between the passengers and the terrorists for control of the plane, it crashed into an abandoned strip mine in Somerset County, Pa. shortly after 10 a.m. All aboard were killed.

On Sept. 13, Paul Sledzik, curator of anatomical collections at the National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), was asked by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Emergency Preparedness to command the Region III Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) in providing victim identification services for the UA Flight 93 crash. Sledzik has been team commander of Region III DMORT since 1997.

As part of the National Disaster Medical System, DMORT is composed of private citizens and federal employees who are asked to provide forensic, mortuary, and family support services following disasters. The teams (there are 10 throughout the nation) are made up of forensic scientists, medicolegal investigators, mortuary officers, logistics and administrative support personnel, and others.

In addition to Sledzik, Lenore Barbian, Ph.D., the assistant curator of anatomical collections at the museum and a DMORT team member, was also asked to respond. Barbian and Sledzik spent the next two weeks in Somerset, Pa. The main focus of their work was to support the local coroner in identifying the victims of the crash and working with the FBI collecting evidence to be used when the terrorists are brought to justice.

The DMORT team organized a morgue, set up the morgue operation, interviewed victim families, and collected antemortem and postmortem information. The morgue facility was located in the National Guard Armory outside Somerset, Pa. With the FBI as the lead agency in the investigation, access to the morgue was strictly controlled.

Sledzik sees the combined DMORT and AFIP response to such incidents as a great benefit to the families of those killed in disasters. As part of a package of federal resources, DMORT and AFIP have worked together in previous incidents, particularly in the area of DNA identification.

"In my estimation, the AFIP managed two of the three incidents following the Sept. 11 attacks: the Pentagon crash and the Somerset crash. My AFIP credentials opened more doors during the activation than my DMORT association. Medicolegal disaster responders respect the AFIP name," Sledzik said.

In fact, the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner provided forensic pathology consultation for the Pennsylvania crash, and five staff members of the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory collected DNA samples in the Somerset morgue.

Sledzik and Barbian, physical anthropologists on staff of the NMHM/AFIP, oversee a collection of human medical and pathological specimens. They provide forensic anthropology consultation to several local and federal agencies and teach an annual AFIP course in forensic anthropology.

"The methods of interpreting the biological aspects of the human skeleton are similar, whether you are looking at a Civil War soldier or a recent disaster victim," said Barbian.

"The museum is proud to support this work as a service to the nation," said Dr. Adrianne Noe, museum director. "Yet it is no surprise that we should be able to do so. Our efforts are an excellent example of public service, combining support for families with our unique experiences and expertise at this critical time."