IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE SLICE TO ALL PRESS AND MEDIA REGARDING GENERAL LLOYD AUSTIN

Gen. Lloyd Austin was incommunicado for several days related to a medical emergency. This does not mean he was AWOL.

Any media or press organization that has reported he was AWOL should issue a retraction immediately. AWOL, or being away without leave, denotes that he was missing. Social media companies should flag such reporting for misinformation. The level of admission - ICU- suggests that he may not have been capable of responding. It is important to keep in mind that his was not a normal admission. The timeframe is set during the holiday break and according to the DOD Web site Austin had no public events scheduled on the dates in question.

We, the press, nor the public do not know Gen. Austin's frame of mind or physical condition under than to surmise that a cancer diagnosis would be disconcerting for him and his family and require a period of mental adjustment. He also had a urine infections doctors later revealed. It appears that all things considered, Austin replied in a reasonable amount of time, although it may have not been ideal.