The following is an media release for  "Research Matters: 9/11, The Armed
Forces Institute of Pathology Responds," an exhibit at the National Museum
of Health and Medicine. Images of the pieces in the exhibit are not included
in this email. For electronic images, please visit the News page of our web
site (http://www.natmedmuse.afip.org/news/news.html), or contact Steven
Solomon, 202-782-2672, [log in to unmask] or Rachel Coker, 202-782-2671,
[log in to unmask]


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2002
Contact: Steven Solomon, 202-782-2672, [log in to unmask] 
          Rachel Coker, 202-782-2671, [log in to unmask] 

SEPT. 11 EXHIBIT AT NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE FEATURES
GOVERNMENT PHOTOS OF CRASH SITES

WASHINGTON - The National Museum of Health and Medicine has unveiled an
exhibit highlighting efforts used by its parent organization, the Armed
Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), to identify the victims of the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight
93 in Somerset County, Pa. 
The exhibit, "Research Matters: 9/11, The Armed Forces Institute of
Pathology Responds," features photographs never before seen by the public
that were taken by AFIP staff during commission of their duties. The exhibit
will run indefinitely.
"The experiences of my colleagues in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks
have become part of our collective national memory and have been documented
by the museum for lasting value to the world," said Dr. Adrianne Noe, museum
director. "Visitors can learn through this Research Matters exhibit about
the personal experiences of U.S. military medicine personnel during unique
challenges to our nation."
The AFIP successfully identified 184 Pentagon victims, provided positive DNA
identifications on all 40 Pennsylvania victims, and developed genetic
profiles of the terrorists that could not be matched to any of the other
victims.
A team of more than 70 AFIP personnel was assembled, including civilians and
members of every branch of service, to perform forensic pathology, forensic
odontology, forensic anthropology, photographic work, and DNA services to
identify victims. AFIP staff was sent to the Dover Port Mortuary at Dover
Air Force Base in Delaware, to the Pentagon crash site, and to Somerset
County, Pa. At the AFIP's Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory
(AFDIL), more than 45 forensic scientists and support personnel provided
critical DNA expertise. 
AFIP personnel quoted in the exhibit are:
                *       "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will do a comprehensive
examination, and we will leave no stone unturned. There will be zero
errors." - U.S. Navy Capt. Glenn N. Wagner, director, AFIP.
                *       "Identifying victims is a humanitarian issue.
Families need confirmation, and we have a duty to assist them in every way
possible."  -- U.S. Army Col. Brion C. Smith, director, DNA Registry, AFDIL.
                *       "Our biggest concern was always for the families. We
worked hard to get the job done and return the victims to their loved ones."
-- Dr. William Rodriquez III, chief deputy medical examiner, Office of the
Armed Forces Medical Examiner.
                *       "This was very personal to me because a lot of the
people killed were military, and I'm retired military. We also had civilians
and children on the aircraft. My desire is to recover, identify, and return
the victims to their families so they can start the closure process."  --
Bob Veasey, chief of operational investigations, Office of the Armed Forces
Medical Examiner.
                *       "AFIP isn't just a job.  Its role in identifying
victims following tragedies like Sept. 11 is a real service we provide for
families and the United States as a whole, and just to have been involved in
something of that magnitude was astounding."  -- Russell Strasser, chief of
the Criminal Investigation Division, Office of the Armed Forces Medical
Examiner.
                *       "I was impressed with the dedication and
professionalism of the team deployed to Pennsylvania. The museum's focus is
one of public service, but this work truly expresses the finest in assisting
families during a time of need." -- Paul Sledzik, curator of anatomical
collections, National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP and team commander
of the Region III Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) that
provided victim identification services for the United Airlines Flight 93
crash.  
                *       "Our main focus was to give back to the families of
the service members what they had so generously given to our country. So we
worked feverishly to accomplish that mission as expeditiously, thoroughly,
thoughtfully, and respectfully as we could. I think I can speak for all
involved when I say it was a labor of love, honor, and patriotism and that
at that time there, doing my small part to honor our heroes and grieve their
families' loss."  -- Penny L. Rodriguez, executive assistant, AFIP.
The photos were taken by:

                *       The Pentagon -- U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Louis
Briscese , Forensic Photography, Office of the Armed Forces Medical
Examiner, AFIP. 
                *       Temporary Morgue, Somerset County, Pennsylvania --
David Boyer, director, DNA Repository, AFIP, and members of the Disaster
Mortuary Response Team, Region III. 
                *       Dover Port Mortuary, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware
-- David Boyer, director, DNA Repository, AFIP and James Ross, bioformatics
manager, AFDIL, AFIP. 
                *       Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory,
Rockville, Md. - Staff, AFIP. 
                *       Crash Site, Somerset County, Pa. - Lenore Barbian,
Ph.D., assistant curator of anatomical collections, National Museum of
Health and Medicine, AFIP. 
The National Museum of Health and Medicine, founded as the Army Medical
Museum in 1862 to study and improve medical conditions during the American
Civil War, is an element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Its
specimens and artifacts were the first museum collection in the country and
are currently the only in Washington, D.C. to be registered by the U.S.
Department of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark. The Secretary of
the Interior, who has designated only 2,340 districts, sites, buildings, and
structures for listing in the National Register, selected the museum's
collection because of its "exceptional value in commemorating and
illustrating the history of the United States." 
Free docent-led tours are offered at 1 p.m. on the second and fourth
Saturday of each month. The museum is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10
a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The museum is located at Walter Reed Army Medical Center,
6900 Georgia Ave. and Elder Street, NW, Washington, D.C. The web site is
www.natmedmuse.afip.org and the telephone number is 202-782-2200. Admission
and parking are free.
###


Rachel L. Coker
Public Affairs Assistant
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
6900 Georgia Avenue and Elder St., NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001
Tel: (202) 782-2671
Fax: (202)782-3573
www.natmedmuse.afip.org