August, 2004

Aug. 4, 2004 - Volunteers on patrol

At Camp Atterbury this week, members of a civilian arm of the U.S. Air Force are learning how to respond to disasters and emergency situations.  They are combing through lakes and fields, simulating how to find lost equipment and people and using radio beacons and technological tools to prepare for disaster. 
The Civilian Air Patrol, a civilian arm of the U.S. Air Force, is training for its role as the volunteer force that is one of the first dispatched to disaster scenes.

The civilian military division started its annual two-week training academy at Camp Atterbury in Johnson County last week. Camp Atterbury has been the headquarters for the National Emergency Services Academy since 1998, although the Civilian Air Patrol is based at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.

More than 300 civilians from state Civilian Air Patrol divisions, or wings, have gathered at Camp Atterbury for educational and hands-on training in emergency service exercises. Last week drew about 145 volunteers, and 250 are training this week, organizers said.

The training means they will comb through grassy fields, search lakes and fly overhead in small aircraft during training exercises that simulate finding lost people and equipment.  For example, a lake navigation course teaches cadets how to use a compass and navigate for searching and rescuing. They then must use navigation equipment to maneuver an 800-meter course, Brockman said.

They will also be able to fly 10 small aircraft out of a Columbus airport as part of the training, Brockman said.  “From homeland security to disaster relief, they’re training to be ready for any number of possibilities,” he said.  (By MICHAEL W. HOSKINS, Franklin IN Daily Journal staff writer)

A Fort Wayne National Guard battalion will be the first unit trained to respond to terrorist attacks in Indiana.

The 650-member 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry -- which returned in October after a 10-month deployment to Iraq -- is expected to begin one week of anti-terrorism training at Camp Atterbury in Edinburg within 30 days, said Lt. Col. Lawrence Powers, director of civil-military affairs for the Office of the Adjutant General in Indianapolis.

Once trained, the 293rd will be on call for six months, after which it will be relieved by a succession of other specially trained units from throughout the state.  Powers said the 293rd must be able to send at least 70 soldiers to the site of a terrorist attack within four hours, and 300 within 24 hours.

"This is a new program we've developed to ensure we can respond to terrorism with a certain number of forces in a specific time," Powers said.  "The 293rd has a proud history of service in Iraq, and I would look at (its selection as the first unit trained) as recognition of that."  Members of the 293rd will be trained in such techniques as vehicle safety, crowd control and securing the area around an attack target. The Sept. 11 attacks illustrated the need for such training, Powers said.

While in Iraq, members of the 293rd were used mainly to protect military convoys, along with strategic bases and airfields.  (Kevin Leininger, The News-Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN)

August 6, 2004 - Young photographer awed by Hiroshima devastation

FIFTY-NINE years ago this morning Paul VanArsdall was shaken out of a deep sleep and told to get ready to go on an important mission.

“They told me it was big,” said the 88-year-old retired optometrist from his Columbus home earlier this week. “I was going to be part of history.

He was.

Later on that Aug. 6, 1945, day, he was thousands of feet in the air taking photos from the ball turret in a B-29 bomber of what was left of Hiroshima.

Moments earlier, he had watched from a distance as a plane called the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb ever used.

“We were about 20 minutes behind the Enola Gay,” he recalled. “There were 10 trail planes in all, and our job was to take photos from as many angles as possible.”

Even today he has difficulty describing what he saw.

“When we flew over the city the mushroom cloud was still there. It was like nothing I had ever seen. I had a hard time believing my eyes. It was scary,” he said.

‘Nothing there’

As he looked through the lens of the old Speed-Graphic camera that had mostly been used to record mundane functions at Tinian Air Base, his disbelief spread.

“There was just nothing there. It (the city) had basically vanished in an instant. The strange thing is that there weren’t many fires. I had been on missions taking pictures of the fire-bombing raids over Japanese cities and those were awful scenes, but they were nothing compared to this,” he said.

He remembers turning to a crewmate, and both expressed the same thought — what must it have been like for “those poor devils down there.”

Almost 60 years later, he has put his part in world history into context. He has not retreated into silence but he has not gone out of his way to reveal what he was doing Aug. 6, 1945.

“I’ve talked about it to various groups because someone asked,” he said. “It is a fascinating story because it was so important in history.”

He is at peace with the decision to drop the atomic bomb, a choice that some have condemned as immoral.

He neither defends nor supports the action, but he notes that the Hiroshima bomb and the one that followed three days later on Nagasaki served to conclude a terrible war.

None of that was on his mind leading up to the Hiroshima mission.

He was a young Air Force sergeant who had been assigned to a service unit as a photographer on the tiny island of Tinian in the Pacific.

“I had been working towards a degree in optometry when I was drafted,” he said. “Of course, they made me a photographer, although I did have quite a bit of experience in that area.”

Most of his work was on the ground, although he did fly four or five combat missions taking photos of bomb damage.

Something on horizon

The routine of his job and that of everyone else on the island began to change in the weeks leading up to Aug. 6.

“We knew there was something big about to happen but no one was thinking along the lines of an atomic bomb,” he said.

Not until he got aboard and his plane became airborne that he and the rest of the crew were briefed on what was to happen.

“There really wasn’t any planning for who would be chosen to go on the mission and who wouldn’t,” he said. “It turned out that my commanding officer told one of the mission planners that I was a good photographer and that took care of that.”

When the planes returned to Tinian, Paul and his fellow photographers raced to the base lab to develop and print their pictures.

The feelings of disbelief surfaced again when he saw the prints but it was only brief.

All the negatives and prints were promptly sent to higher headquarters.

VanArsdall has never seen the results of his work since he packaged them for shipment. Some of the photos that were released for public consumption might have been taken by him, but he can’t be sure.

He still has his memories of the horrible scenes he witnessed through the lens of a camera that recorded history.  (By Harry McCawley, the Republic, Columbus, IN)

August 11, 2004 - Extended Leave? - Rumors a Wabash Valley guard unit could be on leave longer than expected.  The 38th Support Battalion of the Indiana Army National Guard based out of Terre Haute was activated in January.

Soldiers in the battalion are from Terre Haute, Brazil, Indianapolis, and Seymour.  After weeks of training at Camp Atterbury, the unit deployed to various parts of the country.  The unit works at seaports helping to load and unload ships.

It's not clear right now if the soldiers' tour of duty will be extended.  Colonel Tim Warrick of the 38th Division Support Command says the unit has exceeded his expectations for this mission. "They understand the importance of the mission. They understand the role that it plays in the global war on terror. And they're doing a tremendous job. Their families are very supportive, and we just couldn't ask more out of those soldiers than what they're giving right now."

The soldiers' families have been lucky enough to visit their loved ones during their mission. (Action 10 News Staff , Terre Haute, Indiana)

August 16, 2004 - Tradition continues

With the mournful melody of “Taps” in the background, about 50 veterans stood at attention Saturday at Camp Atterbury, just as they did numerous times while training for World War II duty in the 1940s.

Their hats, which denoted them as veterans of foreign wars, were held over their hearts.

They listened as those now in the military thanked them for their service in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the still-brewing war on terror.

Every year, Camp Atterbury welcomes the men and women who trained there with a ceremony at the memorial and reflecting pool in front of the camp.

The stone memorial was built in 1992, the 50th anniversary of the camp’s construction. The memorial displays the official shields of the military units that trained at the camp.

The committee organizes the memorial event, maintains the camp’s museum and takes on any other project that preserves the history of the area.

Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger of Bargersville, adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, thanked the veterans for their service and the example they set for this country, where soldiers continue to volunteer to fight for their country.

“You saved the world and came home and asked for very little. That legacy that you left is going on today by your grandsons and granddaughters that are mobilizing here at Camp Atterbury,” he said.

Indiana Sen. Robert Garton, R-Columbus was the guest speaker. The nine-term legislator and former Marine discussed Camp Atterbury’s history.

One month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the War Department announced that Camp Atterbury would be built to train soldiers for overseas duty. It cost $86 million to build the facility, which was on more than 40,000 acres. About 600 farm families were displaced, and the towns of Kansas and Pisgah disappeared forever.

Garton said there was much debate about what to name the new camp. The editor of the Franklin Evening Star suggested “Camp Franklin” to honor both the town of Franklin and its namesake, Benjamin Franklin, Garton said.

In a letter, a U.S. Army general thanked the editor for the suggestion but said military installations are usually named after deceased military officials who served honorably, not former presidents of the United States, such as Ben Franklin.

As the crowd laughed, Garton explained that Franklin was never a president.

Military officials eventually decided to name the new camp after Brig. Gen. William Wallace Atterbury, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. While serving in Europe, Atterbury used his talents in transportation to assist the Allied nations during the war. Many of those nations gave him official state honors for the railroads and ports he helped design and build.

The 83rd “Thunderbolt” Infantry Division was the first unit to train at the camp. By the time the war was over, 75,000 soldiers had trained at there. After World War II, portions of the camp were dismantled, although soldiers trained there again for the Korean War.

In the 1960s, the Indiana National Guard used the camp for a summer annual training area. One Guard unit, Company D Rangers, 151st Infantry, trained at Atterbury for the Vietnam War.

The camp was deactivated in 1968. Guard units continued to attend their summer annual drilling at the camp. During Operation Desert Storm, units began mobilizing for overseas duty from the camp.

In 2003, the camp was activated once again, this time to prepare soldiers for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“The motto of Camp Atterbury is ‘We are ready,’” Garton said. “That’s the heart and soul of Camp Atterbury. It honors those who defended and protected all of our yesterdays and those who are prepared to defend and protect all of our tomorrows … and it is ready today to train for this new war on terrorism.”

Veterans placed wreaths on the memorial to honor units that had trained there. Each of the 10 military units on the memorial had two or three former members who marched up, placed the wreath and saluted.  (By AMY MAY, Daily Journal, Franklin, Indiana staff writer)

August 16, 2004 - Atterbury chapel ceremony proud time for POW’s son

Lt. Col. Marcus Puccini, an Air Force reservist fresh from Afghanistan and Iraq decked out in his desert camouflage fatigues, took special pride in Camp Atterbury’s annual Italian prisoner-of-war chapel ceremonies Sunday.

His father, Libero Puccini, has been a fixture at the annual event. The elder Puccini was an Italian POW and carved the large “Camp Atterbury 1942” stone with the sword that symbolizes the base.

“It is neat to be here and to be the son of a prisoner-of-war and to be in the U.S. military,” Puccini said.  “Especially with everything that is going on in the world right now. Sometimes the Americans get a bad name, but when you see an event like this where a former prisoner of war, a former enemy, is being treated like a homecoming hero, it makes you see America and the U.S. military in a whole different light.”

Libero Puccini, now 81, made his way through well-wishers and friends, signing autographs, posing for photos and exchanging memories of his time as a prisoner at the base 62 years ago.

Lt. Col. Puccini had not been to the annual event since 1992. He is a C-130 pilot in the Air Force reserve based in Alabama and a former EP-3 pilot in the U.S. Navy. His reserve unit was activated in November and he expects to be active for two years.  Initially, his father tried to talk him out of joining the military.  “He actually sent me to Italy to think about it,” Puccini said.   “He saw war. He saw his friends killed and his comrades, lost family members. That is hard. He was probably the one person who went out of his way (to say,) ‘Naw, you don’t want to do this.’  “I joined anyway, and now he is absolutely thrilled that I did join.”

Sunday’s celebration, which included traditional Italian games, food and mass at the chapel erected during the war by the POWs, drew more than 300 participants.  Lt. Col. Ken Newlin, the base commander, said the annual event is important to remember the base’s history and the tiny, one-room chapel.  "If it wasn’t for events like this, it would be easy to forget about this place — it is out in the middle of nowhere,” Newlin said.  (By John Clark, The Republic, Columbus, Indiana)

August 19, 2004 - Chemical Unit Called to Duty
More Indiana National Guard members from the Valley will soon be joining the War on Terror.

The Terre Haute-based 438th Chemical Company has been mobilized for active duty as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom III.  The order will mobilize 16 members for up to 18 months of active duty.  The unit has been ordered to report to Camp Atterbury the first week of September. (WTWO Channel 2, Terre Haute, IN)

August 19, 2004 - Outgoing Commander Optimistic About Crane`s Future
The US Navy employs more than 3,000 people at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center here in the Valley -- and now those folks have a new leader.  A Change of Command ceremony took place at the base Wednesday morning.  Capt. Daniel Wise turned over command of the base to Capt. Mark Welsh.

Next year, a federal commission will look at closing military bases around the country, but Crane's outgoing commander says he believes the base will stay open. "I'm very optimistic. I think it's a good news story. I think things will go pretty well. I wish I could offer a guarantee, but I will tell you I'm really optimistic about it," said Capt. Wise.

The Navy uses the Indiana base to improve wartime technology used by soldiers.

August 24, 2004 - British officers learn at Atterbury

Two English officers from the Territorial Army hopped across the pond to check out how the Indiana National Guard runs Camp Atterbury.

The Territorial Army is the English equivalent of the National Guard, a reserve component of the British Army. Like the U.S. Guardsmen, many of the soldiers in the Territorial Army have been activated to fight the war on terror.

Sgt. Stephen Woodley and Staff Sgt. Bill Hounsome are military police officers with the 253rd Provost Company, 4th Regiment Royal Military Police. They spent two weeks with the military police in the Indiana National Guard 76th Brigade Headquarters during their annual training.

They were two of 57 non-commissioned English officers who came to the United States this year as part of the NCO Exchange Program, which has been operating since 1986.

Sgt. Maj. Terrence Werley, a National Guard Bureau officer who runs the exchange from the Pentagon, said the program sends American Guardsmen to spend two weeks with military units in England, Germany and other NATO nations. Soldiers from those countries visit the U.S. units during their annual training.

The goal is to match English soldiers with American National Guard troops who have similar military operational specialties, so the soldiers can meet their counterparts.

The Department of Defense makes agreements with NATO countries for the National Guard exchange program because states cannot enter into treaties with foreign nations. The National Guard Bureau then runs the program.

“The reason for the exchange is to further and strengthen the NATO alliance,” Werley said.  Another benefit is that the officers can learn from each other. 
“They can study each other’s techniques. If they think it’s better, they can bring it home,” he said.

Woodley and Hounsome said they noticed some differences between their home unit and the 76th.  “Everyone seems a lot more relaxed and friendly here. We do a lot more shouting,” Hounsome joked. “Actually, (the Territorial Army) is a lot more formal.”  Woodley said the English soldiers went out in the community one day and stopped at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Franklin.

“I was surprised at how many people stopped to talk,” he said. “We’ve been very impressed with the public support for the armed forces.”  Both English officers have visited the United States before, in vacation spots such as Florida, New York and California. But they said they enjoyed meeting their peers in the Midwest.

“We served with National Guard in Iraq but never got to know the people. Now that we’ve got a chance to get to know them, what most impressed me is the enthusiasm of people to serve,” Woodley said.  Like the United States, England’s army is all-volunteer.  “Everybody in the armed forces wants to be there. The last draft was in 1956,” Hounsome said.

Both officers were called up to serve in Iraq from June to October 2003. They secured border crossings along the Iraq-Kuwait border. They met a South Carolina National Guard unit and were impressed with the soldiers.

“When we arrived, the Americans took us in and opened up,” Hounsome said. “The British soldiers seemed quite popular. Lots of Americans came up to talk and say they appreciate that we support them abroad when other people won’t.”

“Our country stuck to what we said we’d do originally when others have not,” Woodley added, referring to the international reaction to U.S. military operations in the Middle East after the Sept. 11 attacks. (By AMY MAY, Daily Journal, Franklin, IN)

EDINBURGH, IND. -- A massage therapist, a fast-food worker and a retail sporting goods manager were among those listening closely to a lesson on CPR in a portable building at Camp Atterbury.

The part-time Army National Guard soldiers will soon be full-time Army medics in a war where the enemy could use guerrilla tactics such as hiding bombs in animal carcasses _ and even bodies.

"You can't just go over to a body any more and turn it over, because there are so many dangers," said the instructor, Master Sgt. Carie Warren.

The mission for Camp Atterbury, about 30 miles south of Indianapolis, is tough: Turn thousands of part-time Guard and reserve soldiers into full-time fighters in the unconventional war on terror, and later help them in their transition home.

The task becomes more challenging later this month, when the third round of troops who are headed to Iraq begins reporting by the thousands to Camp Atterbury. Preparation includes lessons in biological warfare.

By the year's end, about 20,000 soldiers from at least 25 states will have deployed from Camp Atterbury since February 2003. That's a big change for what was before the Iraq war a quiet post used primarily for Indiana National Guard training.  This is the biggest mobilization of troops at the post since the Korean War.

For the soldiers, Camp Atterbury is the last place to learn valuable fighting skills before they deploy to either Iraq, Afghanistan or other places where U.S. troops are engaged. When they return from war to fill out paperwork, it might be the Army's last chance to identify those needing counseling.

Before leaving, the troops must be certified in skills such as weaponry. They also need multiple vaccines and to file paperwork such as wills. The process takes from days to months.  As the tactics used by the enemy have changed in Iraq, so have the instructions to the deploying troops. Today's troops do more drills on thwarting convoy attacks, and more is taught in the classroom about guerrilla tactics such as suicide bombings.

For the medics Warren instructs, that means learning to minimize the risk to themselves as they treat casualties - lessons Cpl. Joshua Stephens, an assistant sporting goods manager in Indianapolis, said are taken seriously so they can effectively treat the wounded.  "It's our responsibility that they come back," said Stephens, 26.  When the troops return, the post mandates that all soldiers fill out questionnaires about their mental health and meet individually with a counselor. Some soldiers speak of nightmares and anxiety.

On the same day the Army medics and others were preparing for Afghanistan, a Guard unit from Michigan was meeting with Lt. Col. Jim Cotter, a chaplain. The unit returned the previous night from a six-month mission in the Sinai Peninsula, and Cotter encouraged them to take things slowly.

"It took us a while to get you trained up to be where you are today, and it's going to take a while to get you trained up to go back" home, Cotter said.  With some, the mental anguish is visible, said Rodney Merrell, a retired lieutenant colonel who coordinates pre- and post-deployment briefings.  "Sometimes, you can see it in their eyes when you talk to them," Merrell said.  Those in need receive follow-up telephone calls from a Camp Atterbury counselor.

In February 2003, Camp Atterbury became the first state-owned installation mobilized for the Iraq war. Since then, more than 14,000 troops have mobilization from it. It is now one of two Army mobilization stations activated only to prepare Guard and Reserve troops for deployment. The second is Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss.

In addition to soldiers, more than 10,000 vehicles and military containers with items such as toilet paper and weapons have been shipped from the post to the troops overseas since December 2003.

In addition to Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, Camp Atterbury has shipped to places far and wide, including Guantanamo Bay, Kosovo, Bosnia and Djibouti in Africa, said Maj. Felicia Brokaw, the post's transportation officer.  "You name it, we can ship it there," he said.  Like many of the hundreds of workers at Camp Atterbury, Brokaw is an Army Guard soldier activated to help run the post.

It has been rewarding to wave at the soldiers when they leave for war and then greet them upon their return, she said.  "I think it's a big reality to them when we say, 'I'll be here to pick you up,'" Brokaw said. "When that door opens, they see a familiar face. They know they're home." (By Kimberly Hefling, AP Military Writer)

Longer-range rifles that the Indianapolis Police Department has had in storage since last year will be in officers' hands possibly by November, department officials said Thursday.  The announcement follows criticism from IPD officers that they regularly face criminals who have more firepower, although officials say their announcement was not a response to those complaints.

The criticism increased after IPD Patrolman Timothy "Jake" Laird was gunned down Aug. 18 by a Southside man firing an SKS-style assault weapon from more than 150 yards away.

Indianapolis Police Chief Jerry Barker said Thursday that the 218 rifles, known as M-16s, will be given to officers as the weapons are modified and as officers are trained to use them. He said training would occur at a range at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, a military base about 45 minutes south of Indianapolis.

Laird was killed and four other officers were wounded when Kenneth C. Anderson went on a shooting rampage. Anderson also killed his mother, Alice. Laird was killed when a bullet struck him just above his protective vest.

"It's taken the department quite some time to make it a reality, but we're glad (they are) making strides to make it a reality," said Sgt. Vince Huber, president of the Fraternal Order of Police. "It'll be a good start. The weapons will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so no matter what time, you'll have a weapon to match the criminal."

Ranges at Camp Atterbury will accommodate the 100-plus yards needed when firing an M-16.

Barker said the decision to issue the rifles had been in the works for months and was not a reaction to Laird's death and the ensuing criticism from officers. Barker met Thursday with Public Safety Director Robert Turner and specialists in training and firearms to discuss use of the weapons.  "When it comes to long rifles for officers, we will do this in a cool, calculated manner," Barker said. "It comes down to safety, safety, safety. The final result will be excellence -- the community has my word."

In most cases, IPD's 1,200-member force uses .40 caliber Glock handguns. Also, some officers have 12-gauge shotguns. Some on the force, such as SWAT members, already have access to specialty weapons and gear.  IPD received the guns last year but delayed their use, partly because of range safety issues. Indianapolis did not have a range where training with the more powerful rifles could take place safely, police said.

Turner has said issuing the new rifles would not have made a difference during the Aug. 18 confrontation with Anderson. That's because of the darkness and the number of homes in the area where the shooting rampage took place. Officers are trained to avoid shooting indiscriminately, especially in densely populated urban areas.  Barker said Thursday the department still encourages use of less-lethal weapons.

IPD will use the Colt M-16, A1. It is being modified to make it semiautomatic -- meaning one squeeze of the trigger will fire just one bullet, said Lon Harness, a civilian firearms instructor for IPD.  That's important in densely populated urban areas where stray shots can strike innocent bystanders. Forty guns have been modified so far.

The Marion County Sheriff's Department has 49 of a similar patrol rifle, the Bushmaster AR-15 semiautomatic. The department has had them for three years, partly due to the death of a sheriff's deputy, Jason Baker, on Sept. 17, 2001. Baker was killed by a gunman armed with an assault rifle.

Sheriff's deputies get a week of intense training on the AR-15 along with regular drilling on their use.  "We felt the need . . . to equip ourselves, for lack of a better term, to meet force with force," said Sheriff's Capt. Phil Burton. "In order to provide safety to the public."  IPD can expect healthy scrutiny from groups such as the Leaf/ Radford Alliance of Indianapolis, which pushes for better training and the elimination of excessive force by law enforcement.

John Prince, chairman of the group, argues that thieves will just try to make their weapons more powerful to regain the advantage.  "We don't think the answer lies in accelerated weaponry," Prince said. (Tom Spalding, Indystar.com)

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. -- The secrets of a prehistoric village that once stood in Decatur County may remain locked away forever after thousands of ancient axes, arrowheads and other primitive tools were dug up and carted away.

Three southern Indiana men have been arrested in the case after conservation officers, following a tip, found the men digging with shovels, picks and garden hoes, said Steve Reinholt, a state Department of Natural Resources field officer.  Investigators found thousands of artifacts in the men's homes worth potentially tens of thousands of dollars, DNR officials said.  The looting is especially significant because once a site is disturbed, it's extremely difficult for archeologists to conduct a scientific survey.  "This is just like robbing an Egyptian tomb," Reinholt said.

DNR officials said Franklin P. Everman, 59, of North Vernon, and Carl Haas, 55, and Robin Sturdivant, 40, both of Westport, were arrested Aug. 17 on a preliminary charge of disturbing the ground in search of artifacts. The charge is a Class A misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to one year in jail.  If the artifacts include human remains, the penalty is stiffer -- a Class D felony. That could mean up to 18 months in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

In Indiana, it is illegal for anyone to conduct archeological digs without the permission of the DNR. Anyone who discovers artifacts must report their findings to the agency within two days.  Investigators say the men conducted digs in at least two places. Authorities did not divulge the locations.

A stone ax found in one of the men's homes is worth about $1,000, said James Mohow, a DNR archeologist. Others axes found are worth between $200 and $300, he said.

DNR officers said that in addition to the boxes of stone artifacts, they found bone fragments that appear to be human during their search of the men's homes.  Authorities confiscated part of a wall from one residence that had a map of the county. Pinpointed on the map were locations where authorities believe the men thought there were artifacts.

The digging likely has ruined any chance to prove the artifacts are remnants of a Native American village scientists believe once was in Decatur County, Mohow said.  Digging has done "extraordinary damage," he said.  Looting cases are rare in Indiana. But Mohow said those who pursue the artifacts can go to great lengths to obtain them.

The case in Decatur County is a great loss for science, said Colleen Boyd, an anthropology professor at Ball State University.  Looting ancient, undiscovered Indian burial grounds and other sites is a lucrative black-market nationwide, Boyd said.  American Indians frequently buried a dead person's belongings with their body, Boyd said.

Many people want to collect burial remains and artifacts because "Indian remains have been mystified," Boyd said. "A lot of people feel they are spiritual." (By Fred Kelly, IndyStar.com)