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117 Comments
- DirtyBinLV, on 01/07/2009, -7/+65Some idiot contractor screwed up a mail merge. It happens all the time. Unfortunately this letter was about people's dead relatives, so they're touchy about it.
- solidwhetstone, on 01/08/2009, -2/+45What about the one guy whose name really was John Doe? He was probably pretty confused when he got that apology letter.
- twiztidsinz, on 01/08/2009, -5/+45More like John DOH!
- BotaXero, on 01/08/2009, -1/+37Dear sir or madman
- AmyVernon, on 01/08/2009, -4/+34I think the point is that this is one time they'd better make sure they get it right, you know?
- rmxz, on 01/08/2009, -3/+27"Some idiot contractor" is not an acceptable excuse.
Some idiot contractor shot a bunch of civilians making the Iraquis hate us more.
Some idiot contractor killed prisoners he was interrogating.
Some idiot contractor shot allies in a friendly fire incident.
Some idiot contractor "lost" a few billion dollars he was supposed to use for this war.
Some idiot contractor got paid $300 million for buying defective munitions from the 1960s for our army [1]
This is just one more instance in a recurring problem of idiot contractors getting away with stuff the shouldn't simply on the "idiot contractor" excuse. Yet we (yours and my tax dollars) keep hiring them.
When will our military start putting a leash on the idiot contractors it deals with?
[1] http://maremare1225.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/penta ... - kd420, on 01/08/2009, -3/+24And kind old King George sent Mother a note when he heard that father was gone.
It was, I recall, in the form of a scroll, with gold leaf and all.
And I found it one day in a drawer of old photographs, hidden away.
And my eyes still grow damp to remember His Majesty signed with his own rubber stamp. - ousthouse, on 01/08/2009, -3/+22Get off your high horse. This was a horribly stupid mistake. But, it wasn't the case of an evil army general demanding "Send out the letters to John Doe, because we don't care about them! MUAHAHAHA!"
- BohicaTwentyTwo, on 01/08/2009, -0/+18Some things really don't need to be handled by the lowest bidder.
- eShinn, on 01/08/2009, -0/+16*puts on voice of John Cleese*
Dear Grieving Person(s),
I, General George Casey, the Army chief of staff, am delighted to have this wonderful opportunity to personally apologize for the seemingly cold and impersonal-personal letter regarding the recent demise of your loved one(s) and it gives me great pleasure to inform you that those responsible have been sacked.
As I feel so strongly towards our error in our personalized automation system in such a touchy subject, I've taken it upon myself to write everyone myself, personally. So far I'm currently on letter number <% =curLetterNum %> of <% =totalLetterNum %> and have <% =(totalLetterNum - curLetterNum %> to go. This will give me plenty of time to think about the recklessness and coldness in blindly referring to <% =deadPersonsFullName[n] %> as merely "John Doe".
I would also like to take this opportunity to inform you of some really fantastic private companies that we feel can really help in your time of need. The government would also like to extend a warm hand in helping to afford these services during these most patriotic of economic times by enclosing government checks known as Freedom Notes.
We are quick to realize that the loss is not confined to just the immediate family, but to extended relatives as well. Therefore, also enclosed, you will find a small stack of calling cards with the phone number to the recruitment center hotline. Please feel free to spread them around the young able-bodied relatives of the deceased - and we can help open the door to a great life.
Again, I'm very happy to have addressed your sorrow for your loved one(s).
Cheers,
<% =images/gcSignature %>
G. Casey. - johndi, on 01/08/2009, -0/+15My guess is that most of them won't change their minds a bit. The ones that had a negative of of the Army will use this as proof the Army doesn't care about soldiers or their families. The people who support the Army will see the apology as proof the Army cares. There will be exceptions to that, but I'm thinking it won't be many. Confirmation bias is a bitch.
- RevJonathan, on 01/08/2009, -4/+18It was a pretty horrible mistake, and I feel for the families involved. However, I'm glad the Army owned up and apologized. Too many departments try and shift the blame around.
- lovek, on 01/08/2009, -1/+15Is it tactless to mention that the one time to get it right might have been BEFORE we sent those 7000 soldiers over there? (Well, Iraq anyway)
- Th3Wh1teRabb1t, on 01/08/2009, -1/+15"....who have lost relatives in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom." This reminded me of something, and please correct me if I'm wrong, because I can't seem to find a source anymore for it (I had thought it was on Wikipedia, hopefully not some conspiracy crap).. but wasn't it originally Operation Iraqi Liberation before someone realized the acronym?
- Danltn, on 01/08/2009, -0/+14Multiple relatives, yes - it is that simple.
- existentialduck, on 01/08/2009, -7/+19i wonder how much those families want to support the military now?
- Trublmakr, on 01/08/2009, -0/+12You mean MY SON IS STILL ALIVE !?!
Signed,
John Doe Sr. III - locondcoco, on 01/08/2009, -2/+13and the apology letter being sent out...
Dear John Doe,
We're sorry for the mix up on the last letter. Please accept our sincerest apologies.
-US Army - inactive, on 01/08/2009, -0/+11It was dark all around.
There was frost in the ground
When the tigers broke free.
And no one survived
From the Royal Fusiliers Company C.
They were all left behind,
Most of them dead,
The rest of them dying.
And that's how the High Command
Took my daddy from me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYtGsvoBVw8 - josepablos, on 01/08/2009, -8/+18***** happens.
- rishubhav, on 01/08/2009, -0/+10Straight from the horse's mouth: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20 ...
- nitramf82, on 01/08/2009, -0/+7Multiple relatives?
- uptwolait, on 01/08/2009, -0/+7I made that mistake with a bulk email program once, sent a message to all of our distributor contacts with "Dear Field #1".
I would probably make a pretty good spammer in retrospect. - Nevermor7, on 01/08/2009, -0/+7"And my eyes still grow damp to remember, His Majesty signed with his own rubber stamp..."
I don't know why you're being dug down... Actually, i find this mistake was quite *literally* "thought-less."
...At least my dead brother in law's death certificate got home with a name... and has one signature in ink (and it's not Georgie's... he, instead, gave my step mom a shiny gold coin with the white house on it! Not in person, of course...) If you're going to send out a death notice, you better GOD-damn be sure it has the fallen soldier's parents' names on it. Its not a ***** mailer for Domino's.
***** this war.
Sorry for swearing. - Asheis, on 01/08/2009, -0/+7But that doesn't change the fact that they WERE involved.
Competent contractors is what we need. Not blackwater, and not the group that screwed this up. It seems like this would have been an easy enough problem to fix. Maybe it wasn't cost-effective to reprint? Maybe they'd rather keep their money and apologize?
Ack. - lovek, on 01/08/2009, -1/+8Wrong much?
- JROXZ, on 01/08/2009, -0/+7Dear Mr. or Mrs. Doe,
- STBAT25, on 01/08/2009, -5/+11I'm surprised they didn't just list them as a number. :-(
- lovek, on 01/08/2009, -0/+6I believe it was called Operation Infinite Justice at one point, and was changed because they thought it was a little... vengeful. But I don't remember Iraqi Liberation. You could be right though. I hope someone else remembers because that would be hilarious.
- Twenty, on 01/08/2009, -1/+7If my kid died in Iraq and I got a letter addressed to John Doe from the military, I would be extremely offended. It's a touchy subject.
I found it especially funny that they called it a printing mistake. Yeah, ok. - inactive, on 01/08/2009, -4/+10Oh surely George Bush could be blamed. Digg isn't Digg without a good Bush thrashing in every thread.
Give it a couple months, the turd burglers here will be calling for Obamas head. - andrewlotta, on 01/08/2009, -2/+7Seriously, I'm sure it wasn't intentional.
- MalarkeyPN, on 01/08/2009, -0/+5You don't need to look in retrospect, you've still got time!
- inactive, on 01/08/2009, -0/+5Not everyone has parents that are still married.
- Yazilliclick, on 01/08/2009, -0/+5Your 'joke' makes no sense at all considering these letters were not to inform of death.
- GovernmentsGun, on 01/08/2009, -4/+9Did anyone notice the discrepancy?
7000 letters to relatives for soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan at the top.
And then at the bottom: About 4,224 U.S. service members have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Another 627 have died in Operation Enduring Freedom, which includes military operations in Afghanistan as well as other countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
So, 7000 - (4224 + 627) = 2149 difference.
Now, this *could* be explained by sending multiple letters to the same family, but I was under the impression that the Army sent out one letter to each family only. Perhaps someone more in the know could clarify? - CaptainHampt0n, on 01/08/2009, -0/+5Whether or not it was intentional, any person with half a brain can realize that such an impersonal letter to the family members of those who have died serving their country is pretty ***** up. Someone should have caught it before they went out.
- Springdiggity, on 01/08/2009, -1/+6I'm in the Army myself, and I would like to know how the hell this happened. Totally idiotic.
- PleaseJustDie, on 01/08/2009, -0/+5Wikipedia lists it under the invasion of iraq that originally it went under the name Operation Iraqi Liberation briefly before it was changed to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
I was in the army when the Iraq war started, and personally I don't remember it ever being called OIL, it was OIF for as long as I can remember which was before we actually did the invasion of Iraq though so if it was OIL it was very briefly. - dagnabbit, on 01/08/2009, -0/+4Brothers, sisters, parents, wives, etc.
- Trublmakr, on 01/08/2009, -0/+4It's a retro-cool resurrection,.. back at the front of the shark.
- emjaymj, on 01/09/2009, -0/+4@unreg
Funny thing is there are 91 comments as of now, and a search reveals you're the only person to bring him up. - BotchaMcCoola, on 01/09/2009, -0/+4The Army blamed a printing error for the mix-up. That is fine euphemizing for lack of quality work at the USA citizens' further expense. I like those MIC terms Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. I bet they are MIC talk for riding the taxpayers around like squealing pigs. Oooh, we are so afraid of those backward countries with their awesome military machines. Not. We are more afraid of economic collapse from wasteful MIC spending and borrowing and the resultant credit crunch. If we don't get control of these morons they will ruin us completely.
- Jareth86, on 01/08/2009, -1/+5Ironically, this is a perfect illustration of what the military really thinks of its soldiers.
"What? You want body armor now?! Go ***** yourselves". - FishHammer, on 01/09/2009, -0/+4That was so much better when I read it in the voice of John Cleese. Thank you.
- MalarkeyPN, on 01/08/2009, -1/+5As I recall, they changed it from Infinite Justice because Muslims would perceive it as being heretical, i.e., only Allah can dispense "infinite justice."
- mike81890, on 01/08/2009, -0/+4I wonder why you used a question mark?
- inactive, on 01/09/2009, -0/+4@DirtyBinLV: That is utter tripe: They outsource these jobs out to those companies for 5, sometimes 10 times what military personnel we're getting paid. If they pay them the same or less, that is acceptable.
- altgeeky1, on 01/08/2009, -1/+5>I was under the impression that the Army sent out one letter to each family only.
Huh? Surely you have heard that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. How would the .mil folks handle THAT?
One letter per next of kin / addresses listed.
Also -- People are blaming the military for the error, when it was their "supplier" that screwed up. OK the military is ultimately responsible... but some thing shouldn't be outsourced. It's the pass the buck off policy of outsourcing that was the error. - Remelox, on 01/09/2009, -0/+4Meanwhile, Mr. John Doe of Plymouth, MA is thankful to the military for sending him a personalized message to help him with the tragic death of Corporal Lane Doe.
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