Life Sciences artifact section

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIFE SCIENCES ARTIFACT SECTION

 

            The Life Sciences Artifact Section (LSAS) operates as an adjunct department of the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory (LSEL), and is located in the 311th Human Systems Wing at Brooks AFB, Texas.  The specialized mission of the Life Sciences Artifact Section is to provide scientific support to various organizations within the Department of Defense, that are involved in obtaining the fullest possible accounting of American military personnel who remain missing from various military conflicts dating back to World War II.  Such organizations include the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, and the US Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii.

 

            The Life Sciences Artifact Section mission evolved as a result of successful studies being performed upon equipment artifacts, that from 1988 had been returned to the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory from sites of military action in South East Asia.  This equipment artifact category can be broadly described as encompassing all forms of:  military uniforms, flight ensembles and maintenance apparel; aircraft fixed or ejection seats, along with other related escape devices; various types of parachute systems; air, land, and water environment survival aids (like locator beacons and rafts); and other general equipment employed by military personnel for emergency or combat theater escape, evasion and rescue.  Concurrent with present day Laboratory studies accomplished upon such equipment, which frequently provides strong supporting evidence to that derived from medical or pathological findings (as to the presence or actions of personnel involved in aircrashes or similar destructive situations), it was discovered that these studies could likewise aid in the accountability of people at historic sites, especially in such instances when no human remains were found.

 

            In 1993 the Joint Chiefs of Staff designated the LSEL as a support agency of the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting, and following the appropriation of funds by Congress, the Life Sciences Artifact Section was activated on 5 April 1994.  The LSAS is currently manned by a cadre of specialists who have extensive backgrounds in numerous types of life sciences equipment deployed by the American military Services, and some hold veteran status.  Through use of the comprehensive technical library and large collection of equipment reference exhibits maintained by the Laboratory, along with support from other members of its staff, the analysts initially endeavor to match a submitted artifact to the type of equipment and specific system from which it originated, identify its Service applicability, as well as the time period it was used.  Further testing can then be applied, often employing state-of-the-art equipment, along with the full resources of other laboratories and specialists at the Air Logistics Center, to enable artifact identification to be confirmed.  Finally, all equipment and scientific test results are translated into determinations about accountability of the missing personnel.  Accordingly, an identified artifact (like a piece of aircrew flight suit) can help reconstruct the pattern and type of its host structure, revealing information about which military Service utilized it, discloses other details about when it was used and with what aircraft until, along with other artifacts and damage assessments, provide an overall image of what the evidence supports about its previous user and their probable status.  Based upon such work, the Life Sciences Artifact Section and staff are totally dedicated to the resolution of the POW/MIA issue, and to supporting other agencies involved in this highest national priority endeavor, to fully account for the nation’s missing military personnel.

 

            Currently, the Laboratory occupies some 20,000 square feet in Building 578 at the 311th Human Systems Wing Program Office.  It is a totally unique laboratory within the DOD, and based upon comments received from its numerous international visitors, with regard to the equipment studies and mission diversity performed, it is in all likelihood the only laboratory of its type anywhere in the world and is often the last link in the chain for a positive accounting of a MIA/POW that the families will have to know what happened to their missing loved ones..

 

 

Ms. Diana Gonzales

Chief, Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory

210-536-4722

DSN 240-4722

diana.gonzales@brooks.af.mil

 

       Mr. John Goines

         Senior Equipment Analyst

         210-536-3796

         DSN 240-3796

        john.goines@brooks.af.mil

 

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