Feature Article
Forensic Dentistry in Investigation of Unrecovered War Casualties Captain Henry Wu BDSc, Grad Dip Forensic Odontology
Captain Henry Wu graduated from dental school at the University of Queensland in 2008 and completed a Graduate Diploma of Forensic Odontology at the University of Western Australia in 2010. He has been registered as a specialist Forensic Odontologist since 2011. CAPT Wu is an Army Reserve Dental Officer at Enoggera Health Centre, Enoggera, Queensland. In civilian life, he is also a Senior Dentist at Ipswich Community Dental Clinic and a Forensic Odontologist at Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services.
Thousands of Australian Defence Personnel remain unaccounted for from past overseas conflicts. There is a renewed interest and effort from within the ADF; and from the general public to recover and identify these Servicemen. Unrecovered War Casualties-Army (UWC-A) is responsible for the Army’s official investigation and management of Australian Servicemen from all wars who are unaccounted for. The Unit is based in Canberra, operating from the Office of Chief of Army, and is a mix of both Australian Public Service and Defence personnel; including full time members and reservists from Army, Navy and Air Force. The team investigates all notifications of the discovery of human remains likely to be those of missing Servicemen, as well as information that may lead to the recovery of Australian Servicemen. Recent UWC-A investigations include notifications from Fromelles, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea and Indonesia. UWC-A has assisted the Government of Papua New Guinea in recovery of PNGDF personnel unaccounted for during the conflict in Bougainville. Investigations are initiated from notifications, which can be from several sources. A common source of notifications is from interviews with local people for whom the local history and landscape (and land ownership) can be transferred verbally through generations; so the role of the informant is more central to historical military recoveries than in contemporary investigations of disasters or missing persons. Unfortunately, with the passage of time, the rich oral history that can be garnered from local populations gradually diminishes and is eventually lost. The discovery of remains or a military wreck, which is believed to be Australian, will also trigger an investigation by UWC-A; as will research which presents new information supporting the possible location of a missing Australian Serviceman. Individuals or organisations can also make submissions relating to Australian Servicemen, which will be evaluated on strength of evidence to determine if a UWC-A Field Team will conduct an onsite investigation and possible excavation or recovery. Initial evaluation and research is performed by Case Investigators into the historical background, strength of information supplied, unit diaries of forces who may have fought in the location and perhaps war graves records. A UWC-A Field Team may travel to
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UWCA Field Team during a welcoming ceremony in Bagou Village, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. the site with the view to recovering any human remains for the purpose of forensic investigation. Testing is then conducted in order to determine the ancestry and hopefully the identity, of an individual. A typical UWC-A field team will include a mix of Case Investigators, Scenes of Crime Officers, Archaeologists, Forensic Anthropologists, Forensic Odontologist (a dentist with training in forensic science) and DNA scientists. The Case Investigators will conduct the historical research; provide the team with operational leadership and appropriate briefings for the task. The Case Investigators will also manage negotiations for accommodation, use of land and fees for local labour and conduct interviews. Scenes of Crimes Officers have recently been attached to UWC-A Field Teams to provide photographic and evidence collection support; particularly in view of establishing an auditable chain of evidence, proper recording and management of evidence collected. Archaeologists are responsible for conducting excavation of sites where human remains are believed to be and interpretation of artefact evidence found. Crucially, they can determine the extent of the grave cut. This can be quite challenging in view of adverse weather conditions, including localised flooding events and unexploded ordnance. The Forensic Anthropologists will also assist in excavation of the remains and generate a biological profile: an estimation of the ancestry, sex, age, height of the remains and any special features which may assist in identification. CADMUS 2012