Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 4/14/2010

Question
I am currently serving in the Navy i have been enlisted for 6 years i am serving my shore duty shore in Virginia and i am also attending college my field of study is mortuary science. My question is how can i use this degree while still serving the military will i have to do more training and who do i have to talk to find out how to get in this field while serving in the military. Thank you

V/r
Kara Campbell

Answer
Kara,
I'm assuming you're currently enlisted.  When you finish your degree will you be trying to become an officer? (you should, if you plan to remain in the Navy for awhile.#

About 5 years ago the military Services combined mortuary affairs into a Joint Service operation located at the Port Mortuary in Dover, Delaware.  Here, the remains of all military members who died overseas on deployment are shipped to one central point for processing.  Those who die in the U.S. during peacetime are still processed by the individual Services, for things such as Burial at Sea, etc.

Your college degree is an excellent background.  The Depart of Defense has several schools they'll send you to, so you may learn things unique to the military such as Mass Casualty operations, Search %26 Recovery Mobile training, and Mortuary Affairs Specialist Advanced Individual Training.  Most of these are short 2-week courses taught at the Joint Mortuary Affairs Center #JMAC), in Fort Lee, Virginia.

For now, I'm assuming you're enlisted and want to be a HM-8496 Mortician.  You must be an E-3 to E-7 to work as this.

HM-8496 Mortician assignment requires:
1. Satisfactory completion of Mortuary Science course at a school accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education, Inc.
2. Current license to practice as a mortician in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia.

You should have a CPO who is a retention NCO who can tell you the projected vacancies in this field and exactly how to go about it.  If you don't happen to have one, any Master Chief should be able to guide you.
Thanks for serving and good luck.
Colonel H