On Jan. 31, the Joint Chiefs of Staff signed a letter
to the editor of the Washington Post concerning an
editorial cartoon by Tom Toles on page B6 in the Jan.
29 edition. “Using the likeness of a service member who
has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of
a cartoon is beyond tasteless,” they wrote. They added
that they “believe you and Mr. Toles have done a disservice
to your readers and your paper’s reputation by using such
a callous depiction of those who have volunteered to
defend this nation, and as a result, have suffered traumatic
and life-altering wounds.” They concluded: “As the Joint
Chiefs, it is rare that we all put our hand to one letter,
but we cannot let this reprehensible cartoon go unanswered.”
