Can you imagine how this news would set with the loved ones of a fallen soldier?

We're talking about the remains of fallen heroes. They deserve dignified treatment. Their families must be secure in the knowledge that their remains are handled with the utmost care from the time of their deaths, their arrival at Dover Air Force Base for funeral preparations and until they are interred or scattered.

These events erode that confidence. It's a shame because the vast majority of men and women at Dover who prepare service members' bodies for burial and escort their remains to their final resting places carry out their responsibilities with tremendous sensitivity and attention to detail.

Because they operate in such an atmosphere, it is mind-boggling that 200 bodies had been processed at a facility that also cremates pets before this issue came to light.

It is not at all surprising that someone dropped the ball on a government contract. It happens all the time in less-sensitive areas of government. This was not a garden-variety type of error such as a fish supplier delivering 5,000 pounds of pollock instead of 5,000 pound of cod to Fort Carson.

Handling the remains of fallen service members is the most solemn duty the Pentagon performs. These men and women deserve the very best care. An appropriate level of dignity cannot be achieved in a facility that also performs pet cremations.

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Marjorie Cortez, whose World War II veteran father's military rites were handled with the utmost dignity so she knows why it matters, is a Deseret News editorial writer. E-mail her at marjorie@desnews.com.