Army Apologizes For "John Doe" Letters

(AP)  The U.S. Army said Wednesday that 7,000 family members of soldiers killed in the Iraq or Afghan wars mistakenly were sent letters addressing them as "John Doe."

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., was sending a personal letter to all the families who received the improperly addressed letters as the result of a printing error, the Army said.

The 7,000 original letters were sent late last month to inform survivors about private organizations that offer gifts, programs and other assistance to families that have lost soldiers in Iraq or other countries where they are deployed for the war on terrorism.

It was sent from the U.S. Army Human Resources Command's Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Center, which issued a formal apology Wednesday.

The letters, which were printed by a contractor, were to have been automatically addressed with the specific names and addresses of survivors, said Paul Boyce, an Army spokesman. Instead, they contained the placeholder greeting - "Dear John Doe."

"It's our fault for not catching it," he said. "We are certainly sorry."

Casey's personal note to the families alluded to the fact that he lost his own father in Vietnam and it said the Army is extremely sensitive to family grief.

An apology also was being posted on the human resources Web site, Boyce said.

"There are no words to adequately apologize for this mistake or for the hurt it may have caused," Brig. Gen. Reuben D. Jones, the Army adjutant general, said in the statement to be posted.

Boyce said all the other information in the letter regarding the assistance organizations was correct.

"It is important the original intent of the letter is not lost," Jones' statement said. "The organizations mentioned are dedicated to honoring loved ones and recognizing their sacrifice and commitment."

[observer2020]

This is what happens when you have to contract out duties that have normally been done by active duty and DoD civilians. Contractors do not have the same sense of urgency and commitment to excellence that the military and their civilian counterparts do. Do away with the contractors and hire more DoD civilians. We do a much better job!

[antoniof123]

So this is how the Republicans support the troops.

They used the war for their own policital agenda and divided a nation now.

The conservatives should be ashamed this is how they suppor the troops.

[arnoldbowers]

I think the majority of you seem to forget bush/cheney had to scab out the jobs (blackwater and the other soldiers of fortune) to get the kick backs (from that idiot in NC who runs black water who really need to be in cuba doing his time) for their future they do not have enough billions of american dollars in the bank as of yet.
The other thing is bush cheney dwanted those men who work for black wsater out of the country you see they did not trust them and the secret service guards knew they could no tprotect them from those who know the truth and had been on the ground over there.
the last fact is they had to employee them or the depression would have been realized sooner.
The best o good byes to all from Austin, TX and
Frank Bowers

[Krazcarl]

This is SO SAD. Asa child I was raised the USA always took the high ground and was just more civilized than the rest of the world and we treated folks with respect this made me happy and proud the bush legacy I''m no longer happy or proud....

[misha128-2009]

A truly deserving part of the Bush Legacy -- the true compassionate conservative that does not believe or seemingly care about the families of fallen soldiers being addressed by their own name. What are the chances we could contribute for a monument to be placed the space in front on the New Bush library to have this form letter permanently remembered in Bronze? This subject will certainly not be covered inside the library. The monument to gross negligence and incompetence should also LIST the real names of the fallen for their families including an expression of the thanks of the entire nation for their service. It''s by far the least that can be done to recognize those this administration is willing to consider nameless.

[rixmix98]

It was the contractor who sent the letters not the government. You wanted cheap government you got it.

Posted by tripkit at 07:30 PM : Jan 07, 2009



Another profound statement of truth!

[rixmix98]

Bush has outsourced federal functions to a legion of subcontractors, who end up costing the taxpayer more than it would cost to keep the operation in-house.

Posted by alphaa10000 at 06:37 AM : Jan 08, 2009




There is so much truth in this statement it hurts.

[whatawebb]

Well there goes a billion dollars on a faulty computer system.

[rusure5]

It''s probably difficult for anyone who has never served in the US military to comprehend just how incompetent this group really is, on the whole.

[annd2302]

Posted by, " brundage3 " and in part only, "Fir generation after generation the Army has proven it is in the end a non careing bureacracy. Period. As such it proves again it is INCOMPETENT. INCOMPETENT. The U S Army is an evil in our world because no one has the guts to stand up to it. OR they want to use it for evil."

You stupid little person, what gives you the right to be so critical of the United States Army? Answer these:
Have you ever been in the military?
Have you ever been refused a promotion while in the military?
Were you an officer or enlisted?
Were you demoted, (busted) while militarily serving?
What rank did you hold?
I spent 43 years and that alone gives me more rights than stupid little people like you.
I will not waste any more time or thought toward little people like you. Go to bed if you can find it....................................