Diligence is an honor for departures Airmen

  • Published
  • By Christin Michaud
  • Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The hot iron presses the wrinkles on what seems like endless lines of red and white stripes - on one section of a symbol that stands for our country's freedom. Each movement is deliberate, for that symbol, the U.S. Flag, will drape the casket of a fallen hero.

While ironing can seem like a chore to some, for the men and women at the departures section at the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs, it is an honor.

It is in this section where fallen heroes who have been prepared for return to their families will be placed in caskets for their final journey home.

"I take a sense of pride in every step I take being here," said Senior Airman Daryl Klepsa, who is assigned to the 319th Force Support Squadron, Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.
Their responsibilities range from ensuring all the caskets are checked properly and in good condition, to ironing the flags that drape those caskets.

A final check of the uniform is also in order ensuring badges and ribbons are secure and in place.

"I stand tall and know that the job I'm doing with my fellow co-workers is worth every minute for a fallen hero to get home safely and to be able to rest in peace."

While it is Klepsa's first deployment here supporting the mortuary mission, one she says has been very honorable, there are others who come back time and time again to serve the fallen and their families.

Master Sgt. Tony Harmon, a reservist with the 512th Memorial Affairs Squadron is on his seventh deployment to the mortuary.

He and his staff of eight in the departures section work all hours of the day to do everything possible to get fallen heroes home to their loved ones in a professional manner.

"At the end of the day we did everything possible to make sure our fallen heroes made it home with dignity, honor and respect in a timely manner," said Harmon.

It takes a strong group of people to be able to do this job, explained Klepsa, but it's rewarding.

"For the families of the fallen I would like for them to know that in this section in departures, we all take a very large sense of pride in the job and making sure that the uniform of their fallen loved one is how it should be," she said.