Unique Turn-in Items of 2022

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –

The property disposal experts at Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services are no strangers to receiving a wide variety of items and property turned in by the uniformed services.

Skeletal remains transferred Dr. Rebecca J. Taylor, Forensic Anthropologist at Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) stands beside a skeleton that was turned into DLA Disposition services. Dr. Taylor concluded that the skeleton specimen was in fact human remains and took possession of it to ensure a dignified transfer.

DLA disposes of nearly all the on-hand inventory of the military. This catalog of equipment, parts, and devices is vast.

As part of their day-to-day duties, Disposal Service Representatives, or DSRs, are prepared to receive nearly any type of Defense Department personal property.

This year, DSRs in Pearl Harbor received a request from a local unit to dispose of a mock skeleton that was on the unit’s accountable property list. After viewing the bones in person, DSRs suspected that the specimen was potentially actual human remains. A forensic anthropologist at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency was requested to help determine the authenticity of the potential remains. The initial suspicions of the DSR were confirmed and the appropriate actions were taken to manage the dignified transfer into the custody of the DPAA.

An E-8 Joint STARS Aircraft being received in place An E-8 joint surveillance and target attack radar system (JSTARS) aircraft received in place by DLA Disposition Services.

Other intriguing items that DSRs received this past year included an armored BMW car, entire aircraft, musical instruments, a mechanical bull, a hydraulic rescue tool known as “Jaws of Life” used by first responders to extract individuals from vehicle crashes, and even bomb disposal robots.

In addition to providing effective disposal solutions, customers may request usable items that have been turned in to the agency. This reutilization process serves as an alternate source of supply for military units.

City of Rye receives reutilized watercraft An ex-USCG Utility Boat reutilized by the City of Rye New York Police Department

Customers save millions of dollars every year through the agency’s reutilization program. In fiscal 2022, over $1.5 billion was repurposed and reutilized by DOD customers and special program recipients.

DSRs conduct active customer outreach, engaging with agencies that might need items available for reutilization. DSRs from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, recently helped a special programs customer in Rye, New York, receive an excess Coast Guard utility vessel that will be put to use off Long Island.

To learn more about item disposal, to contact a DSR, or to learn how to request and reutilize some of the unique items that have been turned in, visit the Digital DSR online application.