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[Cool]

Source: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=national&story_id=122004b1_rumsfeld_letters

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has decided to personally sign condolence letters to the relatives of U.S. troops killed in action rather than let a machine affix his signature.

Republican and Democratic members of Congress criticized the embattled Pentagon chief yesterday for not signing the letters himself all along.

"My goodness, that's the least that we could expect of the secretary of defense, is having some personal attention paid by him," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., noting that President Bush signs such letters himself.

"If the president of the United States can find time to do that, why can't the secretary of defense?" Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran, asked on CBS' "Face the Nation."

In a statement Friday, Rumsfeld announced the change in policy and said more than 1,000 condolence letters had gone out to relatives of Americans killed in military action during the global fight against terrorism.

"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," Rumsfeld said.

"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," he said.

The statement, which was reported Friday by the military newspaper Stars & Stripes did not specifically refer to troops killed in Iraq, though family members of soldiers who died there told the newspaper they were angry with Rumsfeld's apparent stamped signature. More than 1,300 American troops have died since the war began in March 2003.

The Washington Post reported that the controversy arose when soldier-turned-writer David Hackworth penned a column Nov. 22 reporting that two Pentagon-based colonels told him that Rumsfeld "has relinquished this sacred duty to a signature device rather than signing the sad documents himself."

After checking with various families of the dead, Hackworth wrote that "one father bitterly commented that he thought it was a shame that the SecDef could keep his squash schedule but not find the time to sign his dead son's letter."

Hackworth wrote that a Pentagon spokesman, Jim Turner, dutifully told him that "Rumsfeld signs the letters himself."

This makes me ill. Rumsfeld can't even take the time to sign death letters of condolence to families who lose relatives in war. Hm, maybe if he actually supplied our troops with adequate armor in this war, we wouldn't have so many troops dying that poor Rumsfeld wouldn't be so overwhelmed that he has to "stamp" his name. Oh, gee, what a guy Don Rumsfeld, we're so glad that you're FINALLY going to sign the letters, hope you don't get writer's cramp.

And I don't care what side of the political spectrum you're on, this is ridiculous, even Republican Senator McCain is unimpressed with Rumsfeld.

 

[Gantz]

I doubt he's going to even touch a letter. More than likely get his secretary to rubber stamp them.

 

[Cool]

I doubt he's going to even touch a letter. More than likely get his secretary to rubber stamp them.

No, that's what he HAS been doing.

 

[Kseutron]

wow, they gonna feel better then

 

[jenov4]

Yeah how fucking' noble.

 

[Scrow]

if someone in my family was killed in a war the last thing i'd be thinking about is a letter from the government and whether those responsible for sending them to that war had personally signed it.

 

[Drensch]

http://forums.gaming-age.com/showthread.php?t=28357&highlight=rumsfeld

 

[Cool]

http://forums.gaming-age.com/showthread.php?t=28357&highlight=rumsfeld

Heh, sorry, searched and didn't find that.