Not Your Sweetie

Rumsfeld Apologizes for Draftee Remarks
By ROBERT BURNS

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld apologized to veterans Tuesday for comments
he made on the military draft that he said had been misconstrued by some as
disparaging their service.

Rumsfeld issued the written apology shortly after three Democrats in Congress
expressed outrage at his remark that draftees had added "no value, no advantage" to
the U.S. military because they served for such short periods.


"We are shocked, frankly, that you were apparently willing to dismiss the value of the
service of millions of Americans, tens of thousands of whom gave their lives for their
country in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam," they wrote.


"If you think back to when we had the draft, people were brought in, they were paid
some fraction of what they could make in the civilian manpower market because they
were without choices," Rumsfeld said.

In his written apology Tuesday, Rumsfeld described his remarks on draftees as "not
eloquently stated."

He said he had not meant to say draftees added no value while they were serving.
"They added great value. I was commenting on the loss of that value when they left
the service."

Rumsfeld said he had no intention of disparaging the service of draftees.

"I always have had the highest respect for their service, and I offer my full apology to
any veteran who misinterpreted my remarks."

It is rare for a defense secretary to issue a written apology on any topic.

"It is painful for anyone, and certainly a public servant whose words are carried far and
wide, to have a comment so unfortunately misinterpreted," Rumsfeld said, adding that
it was "particularly troubling" to know there are service men and women - past and
present - "who may believe that the secretary of defense would say or mean what
some have written. I did not. I would not."