“Short.”
“First off, army personnel moved through air facilities all the time. That’s how they got there. But beyond that, during the early years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, death rates were low and mortuary services were provided by the air force. A civilian mortician was assigned TDY to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, and only preliminary preparation of remains took place in-country. At that time the mortuary at the Tan Son Nhut Air Base consisted of just two rooms.” Danny had clearly given the briefing before.
“By sixty-three the TSN mortuary had a USAF civilian mortician, a U.S. Army graves registration NCO, and a couple of locals. As casualties escalated, the facility was expanded and an embalmer and more graves registration personnel were added.
“In 1966 the air force transferred operational control of the mortuary to the army and procedures changed. In previous wars, temporary cemeteries were established to hold bodies until hostilities ceased. Remains were later disinterred and returned to next of kin, or at the request of next of kin, relocated to permanent U.S. cemeteries overseas. Embalming was done at the cemetery.
“When the army took over in Nam, it phased in a concurrent return program. Remains were processed through collection points to the Tan Son Nhut mortuary or to Da Nang after that one was built. There they were identified, embalmed, and evacuated home. Processing took place in a matter of days, not months or years, as with the old temporary burial system.”
“That’s fast.”
“In most cases a KIA was helicoptered from the battlefield to the nearest collection point in a matter of hours. Within a day the remains were at one of the two in-country mortuaries.”
“I guess you had to move quickly in that climate.”
“You’ve got that right. With so much heat and humidity, skin soon sloughed and corpses swelled and doubled in size. Especially during the monsoons. And scavenging bugs and animals moved in before a body even hit the ground. Thank God refrigeration was available at the collection points and at the mortuaries.”
“But it didn’t help 1968-979.”
“Once you get inland from the coast, a lot of Vietnam is pure jungle,” I said. “The dead weren’t always found right away.”
“And think about the timing,” Danny added. “The revamped TSN mortuary only went online in August of sixty- eight, the month 1968-979 was found.”
“Did you shoot dental X-rays for 1968-979?” I asked Danny.
He lifted a tiny brown envelope from his blotter. “Shall we?”
We were rising when my BlackBerry sounded.
As I answered, Ryan’s mobile chirped the
“HI, SWEETIE.” I WAS FOLLOWING DANNY TOWARD A LIGHT BOX located against the left wall of the lab.
“Don’t you
Katy’s tone was pure outrage.
“This vacation was supposed to be fun. Surfing? Diving? Aloha? Remember? Alo-
I could hear traffic in the background. Something bluesy blasting from a radio.
“Where are you?”
“Heading home, that’s where I am. After cooling my heels for so long I thought I’d qualify for old-age benefits.”
I checked my watch. Four forty. Obviously the rendezvous had not gone well.
“Where is Lily?”
“No idea. Couldn’t care less.”
“You never connected?”
Behind me I sensed Ryan having essentially the same conversation.
“Oh, I found her. After sweltering in the car for almost an hour.”
How does one simultaneously swelter and cool one’s heels? I didn’t ask.
“The AC went out?”
“That’s not the point,” Katy said.
I caught a snippet of Ryan’s exchange.
“Katy, turn down the music.”
The noise level dropped a microdecibel.
“Did you leave Lily at the mall?”
“Do you have any idea how long I waited? I got there on time, early even. No Lily. I circled, thinking I might
