I remember one time sitting here and I met with a family and the mother was just looking
down at the table. She stopped me after I left the room and grabbed me and said, "When
you get back to the mortuary, can you hold my son's cheeks in your hands and tell him
that his mother loves him?" and things like that ... that she's trusting me to be able
to do something like that it's worthwhile. I am HM1Jennifer Heiselman. And I am HM1 Whit
Sloane, and we are Navy Liaisons at Dover Port Mortuary, also known as Air Force Mortuary
Affairs Operations. A Navy liaison is a well-rounded person that
takes care of not only the fallen Marine or Sailor, but also their families and everybody
in the command that were to come here and witness a dignified transfer.
If we do have a death, we would welcome the family to Dover. We would secure their lodging;
take care of them while they're here, take them to the flight line. We have a brief that
we go over with them and all the details of what they are going to expect, brief our escorts
and make travel arrangements for the remains and the escorts.
We would measure the fallen and choose the right uniform.. Most of the time they go in
their dress blues, both Navy and Marines, unless the family decides they want something
different. Every Irish pennant is snipped. We roll a
new neckerchief. We press and steam the uniform. We get it tailored professionally. We get
the awards and decorations and make the ribbon rack. Then we go back and do a final once-over
inspection and make sure that everything is just right.
Everything has to be perfect...better than our uniforms because it's going to be there
last uniform. It's got to be right, and if it's not right we need to fix it. And we do.
We are trained for corpsman duties but we'll always be morticians. And we're the only ones
in the Navy that know how to do this job. We can embalm, we can do restorative work.
And we can make those arrangements that nobody else can do.
And let me be clear, I don't want to do anything else but this. I love it. Love it. There's
not a day goes by that I hate my job, that I dread going to work. People go, "but you're
a funeral director." Yeah, I am. I love it. I'm proud to be here. This is a dream duty
station for any mortician. So much happens here and you get to be a part of it. And to
be able to bring fallen Marines and Sailors home is overwhelming.
I make a difference, and to me making a difference is very important. No corners are cut here.
We take care of our own. We can't bring them back, but we do the best we can to help the
family achieve the type of closure that allows them to grieve healthily and move on.
You have to be strong and be able to hold up a father that's falling on the flight line,
and be able to be kind of a rock in that moment. Patience and the ability to just listen to
people because really they just want to talk to you.
I think you got to be a compassionate person. You've got to be there for people you don't
know and people you may never see again, and you've got to help them through the most difficult
thing in their life ever. And we help navigate that, and we make it easier.
if the unthinkable happens, we will take care of them. Trust us in that. And not just the
service member, but their family members as well. There may be only 12 of us, we're going
to make sure that you're done right. We're here 24/7 for active duty, for their
dependents. No matter where you are in the world, we will get you home with honor and
dignity care and respect.