1971 -- An angry Vietnam soldier, George Mellendorf sends letter to Richard Nixon complaining about slow delivery of mail to soldiers: "It seems as if nobody cares if we get our mail." Nixon may have responded quickly with his letter of denial, but Mellendorf didn't get it until 1978 -- seven years after it was sent.(on this day;the daily bleed) Freudian Uniform Slip (ta pug) The man appointed by the governor of Texas as the state's director of homeland security in the U.S. war on terrorism, David Dewhurst, is also a candidate for lieutenant governor, and his recent patriot-themed campaign ad featured a large U.S. flag with a smartly dressed soldier standing in front of it. However, it was later discovered that the soldier in the photograph was not an American but a German soldier in a Luftwaffe uniform. [Dallas Morning News, 10-26-01]