Though Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has claimed that he only learned about the Air Force policy of dumping slain troops into a Virginia landfill this week, when it became headline news, reports today show that this is simply untrue.
Instead, Rep. Rush Holt (D – NJ) has confirmed he sent a letter to Panetta on September 16, some two months ago, asking for clarity on the Dover Air Base mortuary’s policy of dumping human remains in a landfill. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little confirmed the letter was received and said they were still working on a response.
The answer Rep. Holt was seeking, of course, has already been released in two separate reports, one from the Office of Special Counsel confirming “gross mismanagement” of human remains at the base, and another by the Air Force released the following day insisting the practice to dumping soldiers in a landfill was simply the policy at the time.
Panetta initially praised the Air Force for its “thorough investigation” of the policy, but has since retracted the statement, saying that he takes full responsibility. The question of why he is only now taking responsibility, and was completely ambivalent when pressed two months ago, remains to be answered.
At least we know Panetta will get to the bottom of this!
Cannon fodder
"…completely ambivalent when pressed two months ago…"
That's because he didn't figure this would get loose on the press – and he probably looked at the dates involved and decided he could point the finger at Bushco and Rummy – it was on their watch.
But mainly, he just doesn't care – it's only what remains of cannon fodder, after all. They just don't care.
So lets just drop all this shit about "brave young fighting men and women who are protecting our freedom".
American Solidiers…..get with it! They Dont Care About You.
Your all being USED.
The landifill says it all…why it isn't all over the news is….oh yeah….There is no news.
We hear only what we want to hear and what we are permitted to hear by the people who use us as soldiers, who use us to bail out the 1%, who use us to fill up prisons etc.
Just stop with "America" . America is more and more resembling Nazi Germany in tone and color.
It's becoming a shittly little nation.
Leon Panetta is less than competent, to put it mildly. He is a mediocre political hack who made a career of doing whatever his superiors wanted. An objective evaluation of Mr Panetta needs to be published, but limited space here limits me to derogatory comments only, such as "not the sharpest knife in the drawer," ignorant and morally obtuse, vulgar, and possessed of the intellect of a Joe Biden or a Rick Perry.