US Army practices digging mass battlefield graves

(Gray News) - The United States Army is now practicing mass battlefield graves, a practice not done since the Korean War.

The Army reported that soldiers in North Carolina completed a “test-of-concept” exercise for large-scale battlefield temporary interment.

“This exercise allowed us to take a critical look at how we respect, honor, and systematically manage our fallen in a high-intensity conflict,” said Sgt. 1st Class Delbert Ruede, the senior fatality management NCO for the 3rd CSC, in the release.

Each plot is made up of five trenches designed to hold 100 bodies.

During the exercises, soldiers reevaluated Korean War-era practices in how to excavate and backfill the plots without damaging the structure or human remains.

The exercises also provided an opportunity for military chaplains and religious affairs specialists to train for mass-casualty environments.