Hitting the Ground Running

Since June 2010 when Patrick K. Hallinan was named interim superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery, an appointment that was made permanent four months later, Hallinan, along with his executive officer, Col. Jack E. Lechner Jr., have been working to restore the confidence in the hallowed burial ground in spite of very challenging circumstances and under a big microscope.

At the National Funeral Directors Association's Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C., Hallinan updated attendees on the progress that has been made. "People need to know that you know what you are doing," he said. "You can do everything right, you can have military honors, you can have a caisson, you can have a fly-over, you can do everything right, you can mow the grass to 3.5 inches, and the service can go perfectly, but bury mom or dad in the wrong grave site and that will cause the house of cards to fall in."

And in the months leading up to June 10, 2010, that is precisely what happened at the cemetery. Following an investigation by the U.S. Army's Inspector General, John McHugh, secretary of the Army, made sweeping changes in the management and oversight of Arlington National Cemetery. McHugh established the newly created position of executive director of the Army National Cemeteries Program, whose duties will include oversight of cemetery management, reviewing and updating policies and procedures, and implementing corrective measures outlined in the investigation and inspection reports. McHugh appointed Kathryn Condon to serve in this position. Condon previously served as the senior civilian for Army Material Command, overseeing one of the largest commands in the Army, with more than 60,000 employees in 149 locations worldwide.

The investigation raised questions about 211 gravesites. Specifically, investigators found more than 100 unmarked graves, a number of gravesites with headstones that are not recorded on cemetery maps, and at least four burial urns that had been found in an area where excess grave dirt is kept. Most of the errors were found in sections 59, which is still active, and sections 65 and 66, which were closed in 2003.

The findings determined the improper interment and trans-interment of remains, as well as the loss of accountability of remains, graves listed as empty, unmarked grave sites, improperly marked graves, and improper handling of cremated remains.

Further, the IG found that "a lack of established policy and procedures and an overall unhealthy organizational climate" hampered the cemetery's mission.

Hallinan considers himself a cemeterian having more than 31 years of cemetery service. Prior to his Arlington appointment he had oversight responsibilities for 130 national cemeteries. He was director of the Office of Field Programs for the Department of Veterans Administration, who is responsible for the development and implementation of National Cemetery Policy.

"We are facing challenges and difficulties, but this is an opportunity for us," Hallinan said. He noted that his executive officer, Col. Lechner, is a funeral director and a member of the National Funeral Directors Association. "Thank you for the opportunity to not only to brief you on Arlington but to provide an update."

Although Hallinan addressed the controversies at the cemetery and answered every question asked, the bulk of his presentation focused on Arlington after June 10. Since then, there have been 4,766 interments, an average 25 interments every day. Also during this period, there were more than 4,465 special events such as wreath ceremonies, visits by heads of states and other similar activities, many of which Hallinan and Lechner attended. On top of all of this, more than 4 million visitors navigate through the cemetery each year.

"This is one of our first opportunities to share some good news," Hallinan said. "We spend a lot of time dealing with the challenges and the controversies so it is a good opportunity to get our message out to you so you can pass it along to others that things are improving at Arlington and that there are some good stewards at the helm."

One of the first tasks undertaken by Hallinan was a full record verification of the 211 grave sites identified in the IG report. "We probed and used did ground penetrating radar foot by foot," he said. "We excavated 81 graves that were empty. This was done very carefully just in case there were remains found so we would not damage the casket in any way."

Of those graves, he reported, 36 were obstructed by trees and 94 graves were marked open but they had a headstone. "The maps that were kept in the office of the Administration building were not being kept up to date," Hallinan said. "They didn't show the graves as being occupied."

Hallinan said he and his staff have hit the ground running to allay the fears and concerns of the families of those interred here. "We have responded back to the IG's office with very positive results," he said. "We have been responsive and we have been proactive."

Much like how the federal government is based on a system of checks and balances, Hallinan has instituted some rigid checkpoints within the daily schedule. Necessary information such as who is being interred, in what section and grave number, whether there is military honors for the ceremony, is verified through several checkpoints along the process. For example, there is a tag that is permanently affixed to that casket or urn. It is non-biodegradable material and the information is written in indelible ink and it is attached to the casket or glued to the bottom of the urn.

"Since the Colonel and I have come on board, I have required that the section and grave number be painted on the lid of the liner and inside of the liner," Hallinan said. "It is a pretty simple checklist item but it is significant. There are seven checkpoints before that lid is put on the grave liner." And then immediately a temporary marker is put in place.

"Before a backhoe puts a bucket into the ground, you need to know where you are," he said. "We updated the maps and we trained the staff to mark those graves correctly.

"You can have the best information gathering system, the greatest standing operating procedures in the world, but if someone's is not watching or paying attention or following up, then mistake will happen."

With everything that has been reported about the cemetery, Hallinan not only had to face those challenges, but he was also dealing with a demoralized staff that was impacted by the negative publicity.

"We needed to change the culture," he said. "We understand what they've been through and we help them move forward in the right direction."

Hallinan said that he has held six "town hall" type meeting with employees to establish a dialog with them on what is to be expected of the staff and also to listen to and address their concerns.

Another of the fronts Hallinan addressed was making communications between the cemetery and families easier and more reliable. "The Customer Service Center did not exist before June 10, 2010," he said, noting that the center has been receiving an average of 210 calls a day.

Under the old system, three out of four phone calls to the cemetery were dropped. "There was no system," Hallinan said. "The average wait time was about 11 and a half minutes. We have a system now, we are logging the calls, we know how long the wait times are, we know how many calls are being dropped."

With this more systematic approach, the average wait times is about a minute.

One Fax Machine
The administration was not operating under the most modern technological conditions. There was one fax machine spread out among the whole organization. "There was no technology, everything was paper-based, records were kept on old index cards," Hallinan said. "Now we are working at breakneck speed. We are making progress."

As a new electronic system is being brought in to the office, the cemetery was forced to move to a six-day-a-week excavation process. "For some reason, and I hope it is a good reason, 10 percent of the workforce had retired since Condon and I assumed our new positions," Hallinan said.

Congress has authorized an additional 57 full-time employees for the cemetery. "We are currently short-staffed and working six days a week," he said. "There is nothing wrong with giving us an opportunity to bring some new people in with different skill sets. This is indicative of the changes that are taking place.

Staff training is another area that Hallinan addressed. When he took over, there was no formalized training for new hires. "A person was hired and they learned from the person they were assigned to," he said. "There were no written standard operating procedures. When a person retired, that corporate knowledge walked out the door with them."

Now, supervisors go for training in St. Louis at the National Cemetery Administration's Training Academy.

"Show the American people that you know what you are doing and you have that expertise and this too shall pass," Hallinan said. "If you violate the basic human trust level by not having the right body in the right grave you won't regain the trust of the American people.

"No matter what happened in the past this remains hallowed ground. Will we make mistakes? Yes, but we will correct, it, fix it and move on. It won't be part of the culture anymore."

Two Freshman Congressman Share Funeral Service Roots, Urge Involvement at Advocacy Summit

So how does a funeral director wake up and find himself a member of Congress? If you ask Steve Southerland, a third-generation funeral director who now represents Florida's 2nd Congressional District, he will explain that it has something to do with funeral director DNA – where a lifetime of service to others makes the transition almost obvious.

And if you ask the same question of Randy Hultgren, who grew up in his family's funeral home in Wheaton, Ill., he will give you a similar answer after seeing the sacrifice his mother and father made operating their funeral home, which is what inspired his commitment to serve.

And they both agreed: "We need more funeral directors in Congress."

Both representatives, members of the 112th Congress, which welcomed one of the largest freshman classes in U.S. history, were on hand to tell their stories at the National Funeral Directors Association's Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. March 9-11.

Southerland's roots in funeral service go back more than 60 years to the funeral home his grandfather opened after he returned home from World War II. "He returned from World War II with a dream," Southerland said, "to make a difference and serve those in our community and to make a difference at what is oftentimes the worst day for a family. And he wanted to make a difference for his family."

Many of the stories of those in the audience, Southerland said, were no doubt similar to his. "It is the story of America," he said. "You can dream, and if you apply to that dream hard work and honest feelings, you can forge a future better than the one your parents knew. That is what we do in America – we dream, we work hard and we make a difference."

Growing up in funeral service, Southerland instilled a foundation of family, of not only running a business but running a family as well.

The profession is about touching hurting people. "When I see you, I touch you because the touch conveys approval," he said. "I told my wife early on that if I come home at night and I don't have make up on my shirt, we are in trouble. Now that is not typically the conversation that a newly married man has with his wife. But Susan understands because she had worked part time in our funeral home as well. But I wanted her to understand that as long as we were touching people, we were going to be okay.

"You don't have all the answers, but you have to let them know they matter," he continued. "The way you let them know is that even though you don't have all the answers to every question they have, you pause in your grief with them – that tells them they matter. Everything I learned on how to run for Congress I learned in the lobby of Southerland Family Funeral Homes."

Southerland also told the story of Paul Revere and William Dawes. Dawes was also out the night of April 19, 1775, warning residents that the British were coming but somehow didn't achieve the historical notoriety Revere did. "The difference between Paul Revere and William Dawes was that Revere was a connector," Southerland explained. "He knew everybody, and so do you. If you want to know about a community, you don't go to the chamber of commerce, you go to the funeral home.

"The point is funeral directors know everybody," he said. "Funeral directors are connectors. You know everybody, and that is an incredible asset."

He also called Paul Revere a "maven," which is a Yiddish word for a gatherer of knowledge. "Over a cup of coffee with a family in your lounge, you talk and you become a gatherer of knowledge," Southerland said. "You know a lot about a lot of things and the issues that face your community." To complete his analogy, Southerland said that Paul Revere was also a salesman. "You sell you," he said. "All you need to know about a person you learn in the first two minutes you meet them. Paul Revere knew how to close the deal. By the time 5 a.m. came on the morning of April 19, 1775, a 50-mile circle of towns knew that the British were coming. He knew a lot of things. He knew what roads were closed and what bridges were out."

Turning to his motivation to run for Congress, Southerland said he became very burdened by the course the country was taking. "I became burdened that the federal government, like a river, has swelled beyond its banks," he said. "That river that has a purpose has swelled beyond its banks. That river is now in my business, that river is now in my home and my church and our schools. It has flooded our crops and it has flooded our town square and our parks. Everywhere I look, that river, which used to be a great asset, is now the biggest liability in my life."

Southerland took on this challenge, and he issued a challenge to his funeral director brethren in the audience. "My challenge to you is: What are you going to do? What are you going to do with you knowledge and your Rolodex and your ability to seal the deal?" he asked. "I am here today to tell you that you have to expand your reach. You have go into areas that you have never gone before. The expanse of my reach had led me 1,000 miles from home."

He called funeral directors the servant leaders of their communities. "You give till it hurts," he said. "What other industry deals with so much regulation as a small business? We need funeral directors to engage in the political process."

He encouraged the audience to think bigger because they make a difference. "You represent everything that is great about this country," Southerland said. "Hard work? On the campaign, I would tell people that my family loves 40-hour work weeks – that's why we squeeze two into every seven-day period. We have a business that is 60 years old, and it has never been closed. What we need in all levels of government – local, state and federal – is you funeral directors to broaden your horizon and your understanding of what you have," he said.

Not a Funeral Director, But an MK
Following his introduction, Randy Hultgren pointed out that one part of his story was omitted – that he was an MK, a mortician's kid.

He echoed Southerland's call for more funeral directors in Congress. "If you want to understand a community, then go talk to the funeral director because he understands that community," Hultgren said. "Growing up in a funeral home is a wonderful training ground for serving in Congress – understanding that people are making sacrifices to run businesses to serve the people in your community."

Hultgren assessed the landscape in Washington and said his efforts will be focused on getting jobs growing again, shrinking the size of the federal government and getting the budget back under control by specifically getting rid of earmarks. "We can still pay for local projects, but it should be done through the open committee process, through the open process where there can be debate and the light of day shone in there," he said.

Turning to healthcare legislation, Hultgren said he will be the first one to say that healthcare is broken. "I fought for medical malpractice reform and tort reform in Illinois, where we have unbelievably high malpractice insurance rates for our doctors and we are losing doctors to every other state in the nation," he said. "We're fighting to keep our good doctors there. I see a real challenge with healthcare of lowering the cost of healthcare while still preserving the quality of care we enjoy. It is a big challenge."

He added that he was convinced that the healthcare reform legislation passed last year was not the right solution to the problem. "We need less bureaucracy and more involvement of the people who can directly impact quality of healthcare," he said. "Let's talk item by item – there are some good things in there, so let's preserve the good things and go after the things that don't work."

Hultgren sits on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, the Agriculture Committee and the Science, Space & Technology Committee. "On each of these committees, our major functions this year are working on a real budget and going after unnecessary and burdensome regulation that makes it more difficult for small businesses to hire people and keep people hired," he said.

Hultgren said he will continue to look out for the small-business owners. "I have seen it in Illinois and I see it here in Washington – the burden of government on small businesses," he said. "I am convinced that if we can turn this economy around, the only way it is going to happen will be through people like you, the small-business owner hiring people and keeping people hired."

Funeral directors, he said, are in a unique position in our communities – a position of trust and servant leadership. "Challenge your other funeral homes to meet with your Congressmen, meet with state legislatures, not to ask for anything but to build a relationship with your elected officials. Stay connected.

2010 Highlight Photos