Army releases findings from Carlisle Barracks disinterment program

The U.S. Army released findings from the eighth year of the Carlisle Barracks Disinterment Program, which returned 17 Native American children to their families, according to a news release. The children died after being sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School more than 100 years ago. The Office of Army Cemeteries reported that remains belonging to one child from the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and 16 children from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes were biologically consistent with student and burial records. Both tribes requested that the names of the children remain private.

According to the Office of Army Cemeteries, remains found in two graves did not match burial records. Those remains were reinterred in their original locations at the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery, where the graves are now marked as Unknown. The agency stated that its team will continue reviewing records and pursuing leads to identify the individuals buried in unmarked graves. Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of the Office of Army Cemeteries and Army National Military Cemeteries, expressed condolences and reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to locating the burial sites of the missing children.