New disciplinary action in Dover war remains case

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Ex-mortuary official punished for retaliation

Patrick Semansky / The Associated Press: Three of the whistle-blowers in the Dover Port Mortuary case, from left: Mary Ellen Spera, James Parsons and Bill Zwicharowski.

May 21, 2012 - A former commander who retaliated against four employees who reported the mishandling of remains at the Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Del., must forfeit $7,000 and has received a letter of reprimand, the Air Force announced Monday.

The Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal investigative agency, found in January that the Air Force had violated whistle-blower protection laws and identified three Port Mortuary officials responsible for the retaliation: Col. Robert Edmondson, the former commander; Trevor Dean, former deputy director; and Quinton “Randy” Keel, former director. The Air Force said in a statement Monday it reviewed those findings and conducted a “supplemental investigation.”

Edmondson accepted non-judicial proceedings under Article 15 Uniform Code of Military Justice, the Air Force said. The final punishment of forfeiture of pay and a reprimand followed a hearing and an appeal.

Dean received a 20-day, unpaid suspension for the reprisal, the Air Force said Monday. Keel resigned in late February but was later issued a letter of censure.

“The Secretary of the Air Force reviewed the final disciplinary actions and considers them appropriate,” according to an Air Force news release.

The Air Force had previously found the three ex-supervisors guilty of gross mismanagement, for which Edmondson was issued a letter of reprimand and denied future command. He left Dover for the Pentagon as part of a routine rotation. Keel was involuntarily downgraded to a nonsupervisory job outside Mortuary Affairs; Dean voluntarily took a downgrade to a nonsupervisory job within Mortuary Affairs Operations but outside Port Mortuary. read more>>>