Army asks dead to sign up for another hitch

[Contrary1]

"The Army said Friday it would apologize to the families of about 275 officers killed or wounded in action who were mistakenly sent letters urging them to return to active duty.

The letters were sent a few days after Christmas to more than 5,100 Army officers who had recently left the service. Included were letters to about 75 officers killed in action and about 200 wounded in action.

"Army personnel officials are contacting those officers' families now to personally apologize for erroneously sending the letters," the Army said in a brief news release issued Friday night.

The Army did not say how or when the mistake was discovered. It said the database normally used for such correspondence with former officers had been "thoroughly reviewed" to remove the names of wounded or dead soldiers..."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/05/dead.letters.ap/index.html

[Ian David]

1. "Thoroughly Reviewed" by the same geniuses in charge of...

purging the felons from the voter registrations and for verifying the no-fly list?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

2. OOps, heck of a job, Brownie!

[RB TexLa]

3. The dead are offered things all the time

My father died almost 21 years ago and still get stuff in the mail every month.

[malaise]

4. This is really sick

EfuggingNOUGH Bushco.

[Obamarama]

5. That sort of screw-up is totally unacceptable....

It's relatively easy to purge people from databases after they die. I used to do it all the time from a national philanthropic database so we wouldn't send out solicitations to dead contributors.

Those poor families.

[Infinite Hope]

6. My gosh. Shameful. n/t

[ShortnFiery]

10. Yes, attention to detail was sadly lacking in their Admin Branch.

Fortunately, upon arrival, Saint Peter authorized the belated to check their Commissions at the Gates of Heaven.

They are now resting with "The Prince of Peace." :cry: :grouphug:

p.s. No King George, a Presidential Signing Statement doesn't apply in the afterlife. ;)

[illinoisprogressive]

7. Maybe the offical is from chicago where we recruit the dead to vote.

[rox63]

8. Oh my, that's where they're planning to get the troops for the surge n/t

[gratuitous]

14. Well, George wants 20,000 troops and only has 9,000 available

Although even 20,000 additional troops is sort of like trying to stop a speeding semi truck with a feather duster.

[No Exit]

17. Next, they'll be recruiting those "Flat Daddies"

You know--those life-size, two-dimensional pictures of "Daddy" (who's in Iraq) that they so magnanimously give to the military's children.

[TomInTib]

9. This just makes me ill

And it just shouts out about the accuracy of military databases.

[JohnnyLib2]

11. painful to even read--

and another indication of misuse and mistreatment of the military.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. if they can vote,

why not?

Yes I know it is serious.

[hootinholler]

13. Not even Monty Python would think this up. n/t

[BlackVelvet04]

15. I knew they were

lowering the standards but that's just ridiculous.

""Army personnel officials are contacting those officers' families now to personally apologize for erroneously sending the letters," the Army said in a brief news release issued Friday night."

Well, that's big of them.

[Rex]

16. Oh man.

I hope they don't run TOCs that way. I've been wondering since the Army ran out of money to pay for maintenance of bases.

Maybe Congress needs to make this a primary issue. Someone needs to look into the use of money and personnel. Maybe find that two trillion 'we' (pentagon) lost?

[No Exit]

18. Wait a minute--they made this mistake 275 TIMES???!

Could this entire country please just fall into the ocean or something? (Man the lifeboats, you guys. We'll find someplace else to live.)

[MagickMuffin]

19. What a blow to end the holiday season with a request for service

for another tour of duty that 75 of the recipients didn't make it out alive the last time they were there.

The letters were sent a few days after Christmas to more than 5,100 Army officers who had recently left the service. Included were letters to about 75 officers killed in action and about 200 wounded in action.

How cruel and unprofessional:grr:

I would like to apologize to the families for our army's lack of competence.

[northofdenali]

20. FUBAR

This is beyond incompetence. :mad: