Mortuary affairs officer gives guidance, comfort

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  When people ask Tara Sutherland what she does, she answers slyly, saying she works at Travis Air Force Base.

When pressed, the Vacaville native reveals that she's the 60th Force Support Squadron mortuary affairs officer, a title she said often stops inquisitive minds from their line of inquiry.

She tells the story with a laugh, emblematic of the upbeat attitude she needs for a job with such demanding emotional stakes.

Sutherland's primary responsibility is to handle any deaths of active-duty members at Travis.

In the event of a death, Sutherland notifies the next of kin, who is the person authorized to direct the disposition of a person's remains. This person is listed on a member's record of emergency data.

From there, Sutherland guides grieving family members through decisions that must be made after a person dies. She acts as an overseer for the preparation and transfer of a person's remains, communicating with the Air Force and the next of kin.

Part of the job involves acting as a sort of counselor, Sutherland said.

"We do everything we can to minimize the grief families are going through," she said. "We only have one time to get this right."

Sutherland's perspective is informed by more than 20 years experience on the job.

She began working with the Travis Port Mortuary in 1991. Travis once was a port of entry for remains from all branches in the Pacific region, much as Dover Air Force Base, Del., does now.

In 2001, the port was closed, but the commander at the time asked her to keep her current job.

In her time, Sutherland has learned how to comfort and work with grieving families. It's important to be both professional and personal, she said, likening her job to that of a doctor. She said both play a pivotal role at a painful, private part of a person's life.

"It's hard in a sense because it's such a bombardment of emotions," Sutherland said.

"It's hard to distance yourself from the grief, but I'm not able to help them if I break down, too. You need to be a good listener to do this job."

A family liaison officer also works to provide assistance, as does a summary court officer, who inventories and, if necessary, ships a member's property.

After more than 20 years, Sutherland said she has learned every person grieves differently.

Sutherland's responsibilities aren't limited to those in mourning or just Travis. She covers an area from Sacramento to Monterey, including Fresno Air National Guard Base, Moffett Federal Airfield near San Jose and the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey.

Because the number of active-duty deaths in a given year varies -- Sutherland has seen as few as one and as many as 14 in one year -- she has a host of other responsibilities.
Her additional duties include fielding honors requests, verifying eligibility for medals and honors and counseling retirees and veterans on their benefits. She serves as the team chief for search and rescue, participating in base-wide exercises. She also trains family liaison officers, individuals who also provides assistance with support agencies after a death.

Sutherland urges family members of terminally ill veterans and retirees to find out more about their benefits. She said perhaps the most difficult part of her job is informing family members that the Air Force handles remains, but neither performs nor absorbs the cost for funeral services for retirees and veterans. Expenses are covered in the event of an active-duty death.

Though many of the day-to-day processes of her job can be routine, Sutherland said no two deaths are alike and every situation is different.

"This is the most unpredictable job," she said. "It's worth it when I get a heartfelt thank you from a family member who says I made it easier to deal with it."