Posted on 12/17/2004 5:12:06 PM PST by Former Military Chick
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will begin personally signing condolence letters sent to families of troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, after receiving criticism over his use of mechanical signatures.
In a statement provided to Stars and Stripes on Thursday, Rumsfeld tacitly admitted that in the past he has not personally signed the letters, but said he was responsible for writing and approving each of the 1,000-plus messages sent to the fallen soldiers’ families.
“I have directed that in the future I sign each letter,” he said in the statement.
“I am deeply grateful for the many letters I have received from the families of those who have been killed in the service of our country, and I recognize and honor their personal loss.”
In a separate statement, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said, “In the interest of ensuring timely contact with grieving family members, he has not individually signed each letter.”
Department of Defense officials for the past few weeks had said only that the content of the letters was private.
But several families of troops killed overseas said they were sure the notes they received had not been signed by hand, and said they were angry that Rumsfeld was not paying attention to their loss.
“To me it’s an insult, not only as someone who lost a loved one but also as someone who served in Iraq,” Army Spc. Ivan Medina told Stripes.
“This doesn’t show our families the respect they deserve,” said Medina, a New York resident whose twin brother, Irving, was killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq this summer.
Illinois resident Bette Sullivan, whose son John was killed in November 2003 while working as an Army mechanic in Iraq, was incensed when she, her son’s wife and her grandchildren received the exact same condolence letter with the apparently stamped signature.
“If each family receives two copies, how many signatures does that amount to?” she asked in an e-mail response to Stripes. “I can understand the use of stamped signatures for his brothers’ mementos, but for those of his wife and children and mother? No, no, no.”
Retired Army Col. David Hackworth, an author and frequent critic of the Department of Defense, publicly criticized Rumsfeld in a syndicated column earlier this month for not reviewing each KIA letter personally.
He called the fake signatures “like having it signed by a monkey.”
“Using those machines is pretty common, but it shouldn’t be in cases of those who have died in action,” he said. “How can [DOD officials] feel the emotional impact of that loss if they’re not even looking at the letters?”
Hackworth said he objected to using the stamped signatures for promotion and commendation letters as well, but said not personally handling the condolence letters is a much more serious offense.
Family members had expressed similar concerns to Stripes about President Bush’s signature on his condolence letters, but Allen Abney, spokesman for the president, said that Bush does personally sign the letters sent from the White House.
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Secretary Rumsfeld's statement
Statement by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on condolences to servicemembers and their loved ones, as provided to Stars and Stripes:
“It is a solemn privilege of the many of us in the Department to meet with U.S. forces and families who have experienced injury or death in the defense of our country.
“During visits with wounded forces and their families at Walter Reed Army Hospital or at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center, I have drawn inspiration from the dignity and resolve of these wonderful young Americans and their loved ones.
“Over the past years, my wife, Joyce, and I have met with several hundred wounded troops and their families during visits to intensive care units, therapy facilities, and their rooms in military hospitals in the United States and abroad.
“During visits to military installations, I have met with still others during their visits to the Pentagon.
“Joyce and I also have met together and individually with spouses and children of those killed in action.
“At the earliest moment in the global war on terror, I determined that it is important that military families who have lost loved ones in hostile actions receive a letter from me directly.
“I wrote and approved the now more than 1000 letters sent to family members and next of kin of each of the servicemen and women killed in military action. While I have not individually signed each one, in the interest of ensuring expeditious contact with grieving family members, I have directed that in the future I sign each letter.
“I am deeply grateful for the many letters I have received from the families of those who have been killed in the service of our country, and I recognize and honor their personal loss.”
I fail to see any excuse for this.
But, better late than never.
Well, I think he should go to each funeral. After all, the man's got nothing better to do. Seriously, we could bog him down in the sad facts of death and take him away from the pursuit of victory. Ultimately, we'll lose more lives that way, but at least it won't look bad.
As always, Rummy is a life long bureaucrat with a heart.
Aside from Dubya, Rummy is my favorite person in this administration.
Pride goeth before the fall.
He should deliver the news personally. And stay with the grieving family for a few days.
The wolves are really out after Rumsfeld. He is the only one of Bush's cabinet appointees to actually take on the entrenched Washington bureaucracy in his department. Bush recognizes this. Unfortunately, some of the other people on our side don't.
As tom Lantos said at least Admrial bota (sp) killed himself.
Hackworth is a perfumed prince who figure Ike was a great combat leader and it was cool to smoke dope with the troops, and then the going got tough he ran away to australia.
In the military, we use whatever means are available to perform the required task at minimum cost to life, blood, and treasure. Period.
/john
The man does have a day job, in case you forgot.
During the Second World War it was the unit commander who wrote the condolence letters. During the Korean, Cold, and Vietnam wars it was the same. Donald Rumsfeld is a kind and gracious man who decided to send these letters himself. He didn't have to do it.
Hackworth, despite his many medals, is not qualified to wipe Donald Rumsfeld's ass. Hackworth should go back to pushing pictures of Prisoner Abuse to the New York Times.
I hear that Lott is now saying Rumsfeld should resign. is that right?
Wonder if she knows about Osama Obama's book deal and whether she will say anything about that.
BTW all you think Rumsfeld is a lousy SECDEF, I give you two words Cohen and Aspin.
Hack is a hack. That has to be the most disgusting man on the planet. He has tried to have his 15 minutes of fame on the backs of our men and women in uniform and they figured him out a lot faster then most of us did.
as Rush was saying today, the media, and even many republicans in the senate - just love Cohen. He's an insider, a republican who crossed the lines to work for Clinton - no matter what he did, how run down the military was under his tenure, he is praised as a great SECDEF.
That the kind of sickness the Beltway mentality breeds. failure is success, what should be criticism and shame is turned into praise.
I am SO glad that Aspin is gone....
/john
Bush needs toi come out FORCEFULLY and say Runy is his man and staying on and that all these partisan won't matter
And he needs to TELL the GOP congress to GET WITH THE DAMN PROGRAM and the hell with McCain
Everyone loves to kick a dog when he's down. If Bush is behind him, I certainly hope there's a good reason and I trust that there is. If not...loyalty is important but our soldiers lives are so much more important.
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