Army sent 'John Doe' letter to survivors

WASHINGTON - The Army issued a formal apology to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan after it sent them letters with the salutation "Dear John Doe."

In December, the Army sent out 7,000 letters to the families of most of the 3,544 soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001 containing information about services or gifts for which they may be eligible.

Although the envelopes were properly addressed, a software problem resulted in an error that printed the place-holder salutation of "Dear John Doe" at the top of the letter. The letters were printed by a private contractor.

J. Paul Boyce, an Army spokesman, said that the service had not received any angry complaints, but several families called to alert the military to the error on their letters. That prompted an investigation that revealed that most likely all the letters were misprinted.

"There are no words to adequately apologize for this mistake or for the hurt it may have caused," Brigadier General Reuben D. Jones, the Army's adjutant general, said in a statement.

In addition to the formal apology from the military, General George W. Casey Jr., the chief of staff of the Army, is sending the families a new letter explaining the error.

Veterans groups agreed that the salutations were a mistake but took different positions on the larger issue of how well the Army is supporting the families of soldiers killed in action.

Joe Davis, a spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the greetings were an "unfortunate mistake." Davis, briefed on the error by Army officials, applauded efforts to stay in touch with families.

"It is embarrassing," Davis said. "But it's very good that they are trying to reach out to families to say the Army is there to support you."

The founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Paul Rieckhoff, was less forgiving, arguing that the Army needs to do more to support military families.

The Army declined to release the name of the California-based company that printed the letters, insisting that responsibility for preventing the error was the military's alone.

LOS ANGELES TIMES