Air Force investigates alleged misconduct with John Glenn's remains

The Air Force is investigating allegations that an airman offered to show the remains of Sen. John Glenn to Pentagon inspectors at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, officials said Friday.  

Col. Pat Ryder, an Air Force spokesman, said in a statement the inspectors declined to view Glenn's remains, but the offer alone was enough to launch an investigation into misconduct.

“The Air Force takes extremely seriously its responsibility to fulfill the nation's sacred commitment of ensuring dignity, honor and respect to the fallen and care, service and support to their families,” Ryder said.

John Glenn, who served as a Marine pilot in World War II and the Korean War before becoming the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth, died Dec. 8, 2016 at the age of 95.

Before his internment at Arlington National Cemetry last month, Glenn's remains traveled to Ohio, his home state, which he represented for 24 years as a Democratic U.S. senator.

Glenn’s family has been notified about the investigation, Dale Butland, a longtime spokesman, told the USA Today Network.

“The family was contacted by the office of the secretary of the Air Force yesterday, who assured them that they were doing an investigation and they would take full responsibility for the investigation,” Butland said.

The Military Times first reported the incident Thursday, quoting "senior mortuary employee" who said the airman twice offered "horrified inspectors a peek at American icon John Glenn's dead body while the famed astronaut awaited burial earlier this year."

However, the military mortuary chief says Glenn’s remains were treated with “impeccable care.”