A Historic Meeting about Don't Ask, Don't Tell
From the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: Today, for the first time, we witnessed top U.S. military brass declare their support for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen made it clear that they share President Obama's view that DADT needs to go.
Admiral Mullen, in particular, was unambiguous and powerful in his personal support:
"No matter how I look at the issue...I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens...For me, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."
Gates and Mullen also announced today that they want to study implementation for a year or longer - a period in which service members will continue to be fired almost daily. While we welcome proactive implementation planning by the Pentagon, one year is far too long and unnecessary. This process must have finality.
Tell your Senators to end DADT in 2010:
www.sldn.org/Senate
Congress must work to strike DADT from the books and pass repeal legislation this year. The latest figures show that 428 service members were discharged under DADT in 2009. Without repeal even more qualified men and women will be fired. Our gay and lesbian service members cannot afford to wait.
Your Senators need to hear from you:
www.sldn.org/Senate
Together, we've come this far and together we can get rid of DADT.
Thank you,
Aubrey Sarvis
Executive Director
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