If we had to point to one policy that has placed the most strain on our troops and their families, and adversely affected the morale and readiness of our forces, it would be stop-loss.
Jon Soltz • An Iraq war veteran and the chairman of VoteVets.org, on the news that the stop-loss policy would end in 2011. The hugely unpopular policy has kept soldiers from being able to exit the military on time. It was put in place in part because the military struggled with keeping troop counts up in the wake of two large-scale wars. It also inspired a well-known film. • source
He just wanted to listen to tunes. Chris Ogle, a 29-year-old New Zealand man, came upon the data when putting songs on his new tech toy. “The more I look at it,” Ogle says, “the more I see and the less I think I should be looking.” Most of the files are from 2005 and are unlikely to compromise security, but the files did include things such as social security numbers of troops. If asked, Ogle would give the MP3 player to the U.S. Government. source
There are no words to adequately apologize for this mistake or for the hurt it may have caused.
Brig. Gen. Reuben D. Jones • Army adjutant general, on a series of letters sent to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The letters sent to families include the phrase “Dear John Doe.” • source