Last month, in a Michigan warehouse that had been temporarily transformed into a makeshift embalming suite, a team of Air Force specialists accomplished an unprecedented feat: embalming and full body wrapping of remains in under 30 minutes in a contested field environment, all while maintaining the dignity and respect due to the fallen.
The realities of the field
The Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations (AFMAO) team of embalmers, mortuary specialists, and chaplains made history by creating the first expeditionary mortuary at Camp Grayling in northern Michigan on August 25, 2025. The exercise was part of Exercise Northern Strike 25-2, a Michigan National Guard-sponsored event designed to prepare personnel from all service branches for real-life combat situations. It was Michigan’s largest and longest readiness exercise, with about 7,500 participants spending two weeks at Camp Grayling.
The exercise put mortuary affairs personnel in positions where they had to shorten their usual processes, and focus on completing multiple procedures in a day. This involved receiving remains, embalming, then completing a full body-wrap — a process that normally takes hours. Field embalming prioritizes preservation and not restoration, which is an important part of the process in normal, non-combat conditions.
Working in a warehouse environment with limited ventilation and only portable respiratory masks for the team, AFMAO personnel constructed a field drainage system, operated arterial and hypodermic machines, and adapted to constraints that would probably challenge even the most seasoned deathcare professional.
“The 30-minute embalming is relatively unheard of. As funeral directors and morticians, embalming typically focuses on three elements: sanitation, restoration, and preservation,” explained Danielle Wilk, a U.S. Army veteran and deathcare professional of 23 years. She added that in an operational mass-casualty context where remains were unlikely to be viewable, “restoration was less of a concern, while preservation remained the priority.”
Necessary measures
Wilk and her colleagues completed the embalming process within the 30-minute goal six times, followed by successful full body wraps performed by Marines and soldiers, demonstrating that rapid, respectful preparation is achievable even under the most demanding conditions.
“It’s doable. It’s 100% achievable, and it didn’t look sloppy, and it still maintained dignity, honor and respect,” said Matthew Metschke, AFMAO’s case-management branch chief and former Army 92M.
The concept of battlefield embalming originated during the Civil War, when practitioners carried out tens of thousands of rudimentary embalmings for the purpose of preserving a body long enough for it to be shipped home. Today’s battlefields can pose many of the same challenges — no refrigeration, and the need to preserve a soldier’s remains for transport.
The AFMAO plans to deploy Mobile Embalming Units (something those Civil War doctors performing their craft under a tent would have greatly appreciated) in future exercises to enhance capability and adaptability, especially in remote or contested areas. From a mass-casualty response standpoint, this rapid embalming process could prove invaluable—not just in military operations, but in natural disasters or incidents where infrastructure is overwhelmed. Having a streamlined, dignified approach that balances speed with solemn respect is an invaluable tool for responders facing grim realities.
