General Dempsey reverses course and now encourages the military to vote and not remain neutral during elections.  General Marshall, who never voted in his life, is no longer the standard or example to be followed.  The clear statement of the importance of voting should be applauded.  However, for many states, this statement is too late, it should have come weeks ago before state registration deadlines.  Many state registration deadlines have already passed and now with under 30 days to go until the election, some military voters may not be able to register.  For many states there are additional options to register or vote.  For those that can, new absentee ballots sent at this date will have more difficulty being returned in time by troops in the field.  Below is the excerpt from the article and video. 

The
military’s top commissioned and noncommissioned officers have joined
forces to urge service members to exercise their right to vote in the
upcoming election.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
and his senior enlisted advisor, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B.
Battaglia, recorded a video message for distribution throughout the
Defense Department.

“Throughout history, the men and women of our
Armed Forces have fought to protect and defend our constitution,
including our right to vote,” Dempsey said in the message. “Voting is
indeed democracy in action, and it defines, in no small part, what it
means to be an American.”

Link to full statement and video