In a move that was supposed to help grieving families of those killed in combat, the U.S. Army inadvertently offended thousands by sending letters addressed “Dear John Doe.”

The letters, sent last month by the Army’s Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operation Center, gave families a list of private organizations that assist families of veterans killed in service.

But the letter printing, handled by a contractor, never included the specific names of those whose sons and daughters had perished in Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead, the placeholder greeting “Dear Jon Doe” remained on all letters — more than 7,000 in total.

The Army’s Chief of Staff is sending a personal letter of apology to each of the families, but he’s admitted “there are no words to adequately apologize for this mistake or for the hurt it may have caused.”

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Tags: Dear John letter, Iraq, U.S. Army