Dear [Insert Name]

Both members of the Senate and the media have voice concern over the nomination of Alberto Gonzalez, as the next Attorney General. Their concern is due to a memo written by Mr. Gonzalez, denying Prisoner of War status to captured Al Qaida and Taliban.

Yet, the Senate and the media has ignored the fact that the Department of Defense has quietly eliminated the Prisoner of War status as it applied to captured American service personnel.

Department of Defense Directive 1300.18, dated December 18, 2000, the controlling directive governing the status of missing service personnel no longer provides for a Prisoner of War status. The most a captured American service member can hope for is the ambiguous status of Missing/Captured or MIA-C.

The fact that the POW status does not exist was confirmed by Secretary of the Navy Gordon England. In a memo written 11 Oct 2002 changing the status of Navy Capt. Scott Speicher, England wrote: "the controlling missing persons statute and directives do not use the term Prisoner of War...."

Government officials claim the type of war we are fighting today, with a stateless enemy does not allow a service member to be declared POW. We would remind you that Capt. Speicher was lost in January 1991 during action against the recognized government of Iraq.

The simple fact is there is no circumstance under which an American service member would be designated Prisoner of War. If Great Britain were to declare war on the United States tomorrow, and one of our soldiers was captured, shown on television, and visited by the Red Cross, they still would not be designated POW, as the controlling directive no longer provides for this status/designation.

Many in the Senate and the media have expressed outrage at the "memo" written by Mr. Gonzalaz. Yet, we've heard not a whisper from the Senate or the media regarding the Defense Departments elimination of the Prisoner of War status for our own service personnel.

Very truly yours