In August of 2005, I had a very interesting phone conversation with the Public Affairs staff for the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO).  It seems that one of my opinion columns, 'The Wrong Army' had been bouncing around the strange netherworld of internet email labeled (incorrectly) as a speech by the CNO.  Somewhere along the line, the forwarded email picked up the headline "Navy Chief Lets Loose a Broadside."  After a few hundred bounces, that became "Navy Chief of Operations Lets Loose a Broadside," which eventually morphed into "Speech by the Chief of Naval Operations."

The CNO at the time was Admiral Mike Mullen, who has since gone on to become the seventeenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  When this rumor/story first came to the attention of the media, back in the summer of 2005, Admiral Mullen's PAO staff spent an entire morning jumping through hoops, trying to make sure that the big boss didn’t end up taking the heat for something I said.

For the record, I am not the Chief of Naval Operations.  I may have delusions of grandeur, but they don't stretch the boundaries of reality quite that far.  Also for the record, Admiral Mullen did not write "The Wrong Army."  I did.  If you like it, the credit goes to me.  If you hate it, I get the blame.  It's not part of a CNO speech, nor any part of his professional writings.  "The Wrong Army" is my baby, warts and all.

If you see anyone trying to give the credit (or blame) to the CNO, please set them straight.  Admiral Mullen has quite enough on his hands, without catching flack for something he didn't say.

UPDATE #1:  A few weeks after the story first came to light, the Navy Times released a short article about this little mix-up.  The announcement, although accurate in all other respects, characterized "The Wrong Army" as critical of armed forces management, the media, and the public.  I don't believe my column was critical of armed forces management, or the general American public.  If it comes across that way, then I expressed myself poorly.

"The Wrong Army" was critical of some elements of the media, some politicians, and a certain class of so-called experts.  I don't apologize for that.  Specifically, I intended to turn the focus of criticism back on those people who are inclined to criticize the military under any and all circumstances.  I object to the default assumption that our armed forces are doing the wrong thing all the time.

I don't pretend that our military personnel never make mistakes, or that our leaders never make bad decisions.  But some people are incapable of recognizing the dedication and sacrifice of the men and women who defend America.  Those are the people I was criticizing.  Not the leaders of our armed forces, and not the common American citizen.

Respectfully,

UPDATE #2:  This story is apparently not going to die.  There are still emails flying around that link the CNO to my opinion column.  To help quell some of the rumors, I've written a column about the incident, called "Pass it On..."  It's my attempt to set the story straight.

Okay, I admit that I'm finding a certain amount of amusement in all of this, but it has to do with the absurdity of the situation - not with Admiral Mullen, or his leadership.  I have the highest respect for the former Chief of Naval Operations.  It's an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with the man, even under such strange circumstances as this.

UPDATE #3:  This rumor hit the web more than two years ago, and I am still getting emails about it.  Just in case you were wondering, I'm still not the Chief of Naval Operations.  In view of Admiral Mullen's recent change of office, perhaps I should also add this...

Jeff Edwards is NOT the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff!