Army Secretary Fires Arlington Supt. John Metzler & Deputy Over Mismanagement, Including Black Soldiers Lost Graves

Army Secretary fires Arlington Supt John Metzler & his deputy over allegations of mismanagement, which include missing graves of black Civil War soldiers.

Army Secretary John McHugh has fired retiring Arlington National Cemetery Superintendent John Metzler, and his deputy, Thurman Higgenbotham, over allegations of mismanagement, including burying a service member's body on top of another, according to Fox News. Thurman Higgenbotham had reportedly illegally hacked into the computer files of a former Arlington employee. It was under Metzler's watch that many graves of black Civil War soldiers were discovered missing.

In November, McHugh ordered an investigation into the allegations. "A thorough investigation and transparency in its results can help correct whatever may be wrong and ensure America's confidence in the operation of its most hallowed ground," McHugh said at the time. "We will take appropriate action as the facts dictate." Source

Metzler is retiring July 2, has tried to brush off the allegations that his tenure has been marred with mismanagement. I blogged about this when the story first broke after an investigation by Salon. It is a disgrace that the graves of some of our brave black Civil War soldiers are missing.