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” he landed in Normandy as a soldier assigned to the 84th Graves Registration Unit. “I spent the next few years going from France to Germany helping to bury people,” “

A near and very dear friend was assigned to Graves Registration while in Korea. I can not imagine a worse job.
Even a PLO as Will Stockdale was would be preferable.

A friend of mine served in Korea during the Vietnam War and when he rotated back to the States, he was assigned to a Guard unit in Virginia, and his duty was to accompany Chaplains when they went to notify families of their KIA and or MIA sons and daughters. I would not have been able to handle that duty.

My neighbor was assigned to Graves Registration in France near the end of WWII, after training as a paratrooper at the age of 17 in the summer of 1944. By the time he made it to Europe, replacements were being sent where needed regardless of MOS. He was part of a team that disenterred bodies from combat grave sites to be placed in designated cemetaries in France and Belgium. The were issued daily whiskey rations and fresh uniforms on a regular basis to deaden the gruesomeness and get rid of the stench of death. He was there until 1947.

When the Korean War broke out, he was recalled to active duty and was told that he was being assigned to Graves Registration, based on his prior experience. His reply- "No way in hell will I do that again". The Army's reply- " Well, then we'll send you to the stockade". His reply- "Fine by me..." . He was assigned to the Infantry instead, which was what he was trained for originally anyway. He went on to serve in combat in Korea for 13 months and got to meet the Chinese up close and personal.

I can not imagine a worse job.

I am retired from the NJ National Guard, where career advancement and promotions were few and far between for the enlisted. My unit received a slot for Graves Registration which required six weeks of MOS school, which would not have been a problem. The slot was two grades above me, which would have been sweet but, I declined due to the nature of the position, even though this was after the first Gulf War and before Operation Enduring Freedom.