Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reiterated the long-standing policy that military service members should not use their uniforms as political tools. "One of the things that marks us as a profession in a democracy is it’s most important we remain apolitical," Dempsey said Aug. 22. "That’s how we maintain our trust with the American people. The American people don’t want us to become another special interest group. In fact, I think that confuses them." Dempsey’s remarks come in the aftermath of reports that a group of former Navy SEALs have criticized President Obama’s handling of details from the mission that resulted in the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.