Among The Dead: My Years in The Port Mortuary

by John W. Harper

The author served twenty-one years in the United States Air Force and was Honorably Retired in 2006. His final assignment was at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware where he served with the Dental Evidence Response Team at the Dover Port Mortuary. This book details those years following September 11th which involved forensic dental identifications on those killed in the Pentagon Disaster, and then the thousands of fallen heroes returning from the battlefields of Iraq. The author provides an inside look at how exposure to human remains affected the team, and their individual battles with post-traumatic stress disorder. It is noteworthy that the teams' efforts were always directed by dignity, honor and respect for the fallen heroes. This work is meant as documentation, as well as some closure for those team members who continue to suffer the symptoms of PTSD. The author holds a Master's Degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Today he lives with his wife and cat, just south of Orlando, Florida.

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2016

Reviews

[Chad Manske · Rating 3 out of 5]

John and my time at Dover did not coincide, however, I served there for a couple years after he left which happened to be among the mortuary's most numerous dignified transfer events when the Battle for Fallujah raged fully. Thanks to John for sharing his experiences and exorcising his demons with a straightforward and raw account of taking care of our fallen heroes with dignity, honor and respect. Well done.

[Connie Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, as far as that goes. I was more interested in their PTSD, as I have it myself from another job experience. Although he mentions the PTSD, he barely talks about it as much as how people in the military tend to not seek help for it. He does an excellent job talking about the actual work and the times he had with his team (and, yes, GOD Bless the soldiers and their selflessness to our country). It is a very compelling read. One of which we may never had known anything about without Mr. Harper describing in this book. I praise him for his recollections.

Thank you to Mr. Harper and Word Slinger for giving me a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest review.