Lloyd put the letter on Hankerson’s desk at 1:15 p.m. Friday and the resignation is effective immediately, county spokesman Robert Quigley confirmed.
In Lloyd's letter, he calls his resignation a "Retirement Announcement" and states, "at this time I am retiring and have tendered my resignation to the County."
The following is the entire contents of the letter the Journal obtained through an Open Records Request:
RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
"I have spent almost 40 years in law enforcement devoting all my energy as well as my official and personal time to protecting and serving the residents of our state including the last seven years serving as the Public Safety Director for Cobb County.
In my various law enforcement capacities I have always enjoyed a reputation for honesty, truthfulness, and integrity. Recently, I have been the subject of attacks by the news media and various officials concerning my military service which has distracted me from providing my full time and efforts to serving the residents of Cobb County as Director of Public Safety.
I certainly could continue to take time away from my position to fight these accusations but the individuals who will ultimately suffer are the members of our Public Safety Department and our residents.
Therefore, at this time I am retiring and have tendered and have tendered my resignation to the County. It has been an honor and a privilege serving the residents of Cobb County.
This 30th day of July, 2010.
Gary Michael Lloyd"
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I found an interesting link between Mrs. Lloyd and the former Cobb Public Safety Director Mickey Lloyd, which should've sent up a red flag. If you read her bio, you'll see she worked in the Georgia state homeland security office, which coincidentally so did Mr. Lloyd. I guess it's safe to assume there's a few more skeletons in the Cobb closet that could eventually come out.
We'll send the liars and cheaters to your county, so they can take positions of employment they weren't originally qualified for and seat them over those employees who spent years in their respective fields and who are well qualified. You can have them and I hope you get them. I guess the shoe won't fit so good if it's you, your friend, or even relative who is overlooked because of a backdoor hiring that looks like is what took place in Cobb County. I can't imagine his wife staying in Cobb County very much longer because her credibility has to be destroyed now that her husband is no longer the Public Safety Director.
Such a disgrace to all those who earned their decorations and especially to the fallen veterans.
His attorney and somewhat condescension in that news conference did not help matters. Does he believe he's the only vet around? Doesn't he know the REAL guys are among us? Yet he blames the media.
As has been said: if he was real, he would not mind the inquiries. And he'd be able to produce all sorts of stuff to prove him right. And I'm not talking about a "made in China" fake SEAL coin.
Frankly, I can't count the number of people I've met over the years that told me that they were a Green Beret or Navy SEAL in Vietnam. I've had people much younger than me look me in the eye and tell me they were in Special Forces, in Vietnam! They'd been 14 or 15 years old. Even the former governor of Minnesota claims to be a SEAL in Vietnam and he's younger than me. Go figure. What makes it so troubling is that it takes months of training to be a Special Forces member and they don't recruit in basic training. They want people with military experience but yet these guys that spend on two or three years in service make these claims.
The problem is that Hollywood has overblown this Special Forces thing and many guys that went to Vietnam feel less about themselves because they were not part of this "Big Screen" story. So they feel the need to embellish their record. The true fact is that if you served in Vietnam that should say enough, period. Vietnam was hell. It was hell going there and it was hell coming home and being a Vietnam veteran.
I don't know Mickey Lloyd. Never met him but if he served honorably in Vietnam then I salute him regardless of his war stories and memories.
Air Commando
360th TEWS
70-71
You were called out by the honest and real military veterans, along with POW Network and Stolen Valor, all of whom you disgraced. I hope you are ashamed of what you did but I doubt it.
I just hope the Feds come after you, that you deserve!!!