WASHINGTON, Jan 7: Senior US generals will apologise to the families of 75 dead and about 200 wounded army officers for sending them letters that asked them to consider returning to military service.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen Richard Cody told reporters that he and other generals will personally contact the families to convey their apologies.

The letters were sent on Dec 26-28 to more than 5,100 Army officers who recently served in the military but inadvertently the list also included the names of dead and wounded officers.

“Every Army leader is just sick that this happened,” said Gen Cody. “This is an inexcusable mistake. Five years into this war, the Army can do better than this — and we will,” he said.

The practice of contacting retired soldiers who might want to volunteer to come back in is not new for the US Army. Last year as many as 9,000 retired soldiers were re-enlisted.

“I can’t imagine how these soldiers and family members felt upon receiving those letters,” Gen Cody said. “Army senior leaders also plan on personally contacting them in writing to apologise and to let them know that the Army is still a family made strong by caring leadership and strong Army families.”

As many as 217 US Army officers have died in Iraq since the war began. According to the latest available Pentagon statistics, the US Army has had 1,552 soldiers — officers and enlisted — killed in action in Iraq since March 2003, plus 409 who died of non-hostile causes. The number of Army officers wounded in action in Iraq was 894 as of Dec 2, out of an Army total — for both officers and enlisted troops — of 14,165.

Altogether, at least 3,006 members of the US military have died in Iraq since the war began.