DTUS0413

Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | April 2013 A3 Ad The biological pro- files, revealed primar- ily through studying the development of the teeth concluded that the sailors were both white males, one 17 to 24 years old and the other in his 30s. Both sailors stood about 5-feet-7-inches tall. Speaking in more de- tail about the teeth of the older sailor, Mann said re- searchers found “a round spot” worn into the sail- or’s bite. “It’s a little semi- circle in the top [teeth] and a semi-circle in the bottom, and you put that together and what would that be? That’s a pipe- stem groove. Back in the Civil War a lot of sailors were smoking clay pipes that were very abrasive. So they would put this clay pipe between their teeth and sit there and grind on it; and after a while it acts like sandpaper and puts a groove there in their top teeth and their bottom teeth. … We have evidence in his teeth: There’s no doubt about it, this individual smoked a pipe.” Mann created a short list of possible identities based off of the age, race and height of the sailor's remains, and nar- rowed down the identities to six possibil- ities by comparing them to the 14 other sailors. Because of a limited number of records and lack of dental records from the Monitor, the next step in attempting to identify the fallen sailors is DNA test- ing. Genealogists have been able to iden- tify possible descendants for 10 of the 16 missing sailors. “What we're going to hope for is we may still find [descendants] of the other missing sailors,” said Mann. ”If that hap- pens we can get DNA samples from them, then we may be able to exclude the other 15 sailors, we may end up with a match. We may end up with one or both of these sailors [identities].” Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus an- nounced Feb. 12 that the remains recov- ered from the Monitor were to be in- terred in Arlington National Cemetery on March 8. The date was chosen to hon- or Monitor's role in the Battle of Hamp- ton Roads 151 years ago. “The importance of recovering a fallen warrior is to let the nation know that the United States has made a commitment that once we've put someone it harm's way, and they are either missing or killed in action, that we have a resolve to go back and return them back to their families,” said McKay. McKay also expressed the importance of JPAC's role to future service members, and their families and to those who are currently serving today. ”It gives the family closure, and I think it gives the war fighter a sense of comfort to know that no matter what happens, the na- tion has not forgotten them and will re- turn them back home with honor,” said McKay. All 16 sailors will be memorial- ized on a group marker in section 46 of Arlington National Cemetery, which is between the amphitheater and the USS Maine Mast memorial. (Source: Navy Public Affairs Support Element) NEWS “ MONITOR, page A2 Illustration by Norm Cubberly showing what possibly happened to the Monitor after she slipped beneath the waves on Dec. 31, 1862. Illustration/Provided by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration The USS Monitor crew at ease outside the turret. The Brooklyn- built Monitor, designed and built in a record 118 days, was commissioned Feb. 25, 1862. It fought the CSS Virginia on March 9, 1862, in the first battle between two ironclads. Photo/Provided by U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command