The National Museum of Health and
Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (NMHM) is proud to
announce the public opening of "RESOLVED: Advances in Forensic
Identification of U.S. War Dead." RESOLVED highlights the underlying
forensic sciences that have evolved to fulfill our nation's commitment
to the identification of U.S. service members who have made the ultimate
sacrifice. NMHM is open to the public and is located on the campus of
Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
RESOLVED features dynamic presentations on milestones in forensic
identification, including the development of tools such as dog tags and
DNA analysis. The exhibit discusses the six lines of evidence critical
to a positive scientific forensic identification: material evidence,
fingerprinting, forensic dentistry, forensic anthropology and forensic
pathology, and DNA analysis. Visitors can examine a variety of objects
on display - including a portable dental x-ray device, an FBI Disaster
Squad fingerprinting kit, and astonishing new "virtual autopsy"
technologies - while photographs immerse the visitor in the working
environment of today's forensic anthropologist and DNA technician.
Historical case studies detail the events that precipitated the
development of new policies and technologies. DNA analysis, for
instance, was critical to the positive identification of U.S. Air Force
pilot Michael Blassie, identified in the 1990s as the Vietnam Unknown
Soldier buried at Arlington National Cemetery. A timeline informs the
visitor on the progression of policies, technologies and other
developments from the time of the Mexican-American War (the first
instance of an organized repatriation of American service member
remains) to the present with the establishment of a centralized mortuary
conducting medico-legal scientific identifications for all
combat-related fatalities.
"Telling the story of these sciences enables our visitors to understand
the underlying efforts involved in the speedy identification of
America's war dead today, and how over the course of the last two
centuries that imperative has been addressed in this country," Adrianne
Noe, Ph.D., Museum Director, said.
RESOLVED was made possible through the generous contributions of
numerous Department of Defense agencies, including the Armed Forces
Institute of Pathology, Office of the Armed Forces Medical
Examiner/AFIP, Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory/AFIP, Joint
POW/MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory, Defense
Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, and federal agencies such as
the FBI Disaster Squad Latent Print Operations Unit.
The Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (except December
25). Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit
here or phone (202) 782-2200.
Links
*
National Museum of Health and Medicine Web site
* Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
*
Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office
*
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory
About the National Museum of Health and Medicine
The National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute
of Pathology, established in 1862, inspires interest in and promotes the
understanding of medicine-past, present, and future-with a special
emphasis on tri-service American military medicine. As a National
Historic Landmark recognized for its ongoing value to the health of the
military and to the nation, the Museum identifies, collects, and
preserves important and unique resources to support a broad agenda of
innovative exhibits, educational programs, and scientific, historical,
and medical research. The Museum is an element of the Armed Forces
Institute of Pathology (AFIP), a tri-service Army, Navy and Air Force
agency of the Department of Defense with a threefold mission of
consultation, education and research. The Museum is located at Walter
Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.
Visit the Museum Web site at nmhm.washingtondc.museum or call (202)
782-2200.
National Museum of Health and Medicine