Special Encore Presentation: Archaeology and JPAC's Mission to Repatriate Military Combat Victims
April 29, 2015
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
Have you ever wondered how the criminologists popularized in such TV shows as “CSI” developed their investigative techniques and deductive strategies? Many of their methods and approaches are derived from archaeological science. The emergence of forensic anthropology and archaeology is largely traceable to the efforts of the American military in recovering the remains and establishing the identities of missing soldiers (MIA’s) during the Vietnam war in the 1970’s. This week’s episode introduces the nuts and bolts of forensic archaeology through the mission of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). JPAC is a military command dedicated to repatriating the remains of soldiers lost in our nation’s past conflicts. Join the discussion with the Deputy Director of the JPAC, Dr. William Belcher, who recounts the history of this unique military operation. Learn how forensic recovery operations are conducted in some of the most remote corners of the world.
Indiana Jones: Myth, Reality and 21st Century Archaeology
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel
This show targets an audience interested in archaeology. It explores myths surrounding this exotic, often misunderstood field and acquaints listeners with the contemporary practice of unearthing the human past. Themes range from Dr. Schuldenrein’s own “Indiana Jones”-like adventures in the land of the Bible to his team’s archaeological forensics effort to unearth Kurdish mass graves in Iraq. That undertaking helped convict Saddam Hussein in 2006. Topical issues contribute to the evolution vs. creationism controversy based on updated fossil records and innovative DNA studies. An episode highlights the main funding source for archaeology in the U.S. (Hint: the oil and gas industry). Experts reveal the latest high-tech approaches to buried archaeological landscapes that provide clues to understanding climate change, past, present and future.
Dr. Joseph Schuldenrein
Joseph Schuldenrein is president and senior scientist of Geoarcheology Research Associates (GRA) in Yonkers, New York. He has been a Visiting Scholar at New York University since 1996. His professional expertise is in geoarchaeology, a sub-discipline that introduces earth science techniques to traditional archaeological excavation. Joe has worked extensively across North America and the Old World. He received his doctorate in 1983 at the University of Chicago. Recent research in North America has concentrated on the urban archaeology of New York City and Native American landscapes of the Atlantic Coast. Joe’s projects in South Asia have ranged from Human Origins investigations to the beginnings of civilization of the Indus Valley. During the Iraq war Dr. Schuldenrein’s team helped direct a forensic archaeological mission in support of the Saddam Hussein prosecution. His newest venture is an assessment of Cultural Heritage Sites in war-torn Afghanistan (2011). Dr. Schuldenrein publishes widely in numerous archaeological and geological journals. He is a reviewer for American Antiquity, Geoarchaeology, and Quaternary Science Reviews. He has acted as Principal Investigator or Consulting Scientist for grants awarded by the National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory. Dr. Schuldenrein has been interviewed for PBS, as well as national and regional TV and radio outlets over the past 30 years.
