Adm. Mike Mullen deserves high praise for work as head of Joint Chiefs of Staff

Regarding the charge of a lack of candor on the part of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen by former assistant defense secretary Lawrence Korb [op-ed, Jan. 13], I have to ask Mr. Korb: "Candidly, why are you using hearsay reports of meetings you did not attend to launch an apparently personal attack?"

Mr. Korb and I have never met, but unlike him, I worked closely with Adm. Mullen, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Gens. Dan McNeill and Stanley A. McChrystal. Still, I would not be able or willing to second-guess the advice they did or did not give to the president.

Adm. Mullen has pushed all the four-star officers and political appointees in a thoughtful -- but candid -- way to take the best possible care of our troops and their families. In the process, he has spent most of his time in places such as Afghanistan and Pakistan with our troops and those of our allies, and he has earned wide respect in the Defense Department. As the USNS Comfort -- armed only with medical personnel -- steams toward Haiti, it is because Adm. Mullen recognizes it as "the most powerful ship in the Navy."

Mr. Korb owes Adm. Mullen an apology.

S. Ward Casscells, Washington

The writer was assistant secretary of defense for health affairs from 2007 to 2009.

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As one who served as executive officer under then-Lt. Mike Mullen in 1973, when at age 26 he was commanding his first ship, I'd like to report that Lawrence J. Korb's attack on the integrity of now-Adm. Mullen rings false.

In 1973, Vietnam discolored almost everything, including what went on aboard the tanker USS Noxubee. Even the most patriotic weren't enthusiastic. But even the most cynical genuinely liked and respected the young skipper. On a small ship during a long deployment, you can't fool a hundred sailors.

I'll bet that if you polled that crew today, every single member would express gladness that it's Mike Mullen sorting out the messy complexity of Afghanistan and other global hotspots. We know his integrity.

Steven T. Corneliussen, Poquoson, Va.