Post by discoberry on Sept 24, 2011 14:41:52 GMT -5
Because of my experience, I was not surprised most Americans believed that Don't Ask, Don't Tell was wrong. It was unfair and pointless. It ran counter to principles our nation was founded upon.
When I got to Congress in 2007, I thought repeal would be a no-brainer. I was shocked by the defeatist attitude that many of my colleagues had come to accept as normal.
"Experts" said repeal was impossible. The votes weren't there -- it was too risky politically. That didn't seem right to me. In the Army, soldiers don't use the word "can't". Certainly not the paratroopers I served with. We had a job to do, and we would get that job done, no matter what.
Luckily, I was able to join with groups like the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Courage Campaign, the Human Rights Campaign and the Palm Center. They agreed with my assessment, and had been fighting to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell long before I got there.
Together, we showed that the policy was more than discriminatory. It hurt our military readiness by tossing out good soldiers for no reason. We were able to turn the tide in Washington by telling the stories of heroes who wanted nothing more than to fight for our country.
Heroes like Eric Alva. Or Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, an 20-year Air Force pilot who flew 88 combat missions and earned 9 air medals, including one for heroism. Victor was targeted under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and his unit was forced to deploy without him while he sat at a desk. Their stories are just a few of many featured in "The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which premier[ed] on HBO tonight at 8 PM. Hearing from them will remind you why this day is so important.
When I got to Congress in 2007, I thought repeal would be a no-brainer. I was shocked by the defeatist attitude that many of my colleagues had come to accept as normal.
"Experts" said repeal was impossible. The votes weren't there -- it was too risky politically. That didn't seem right to me. In the Army, soldiers don't use the word "can't". Certainly not the paratroopers I served with. We had a job to do, and we would get that job done, no matter what.
Luckily, I was able to join with groups like the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Courage Campaign, the Human Rights Campaign and the Palm Center. They agreed with my assessment, and had been fighting to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell long before I got there.
Together, we showed that the policy was more than discriminatory. It hurt our military readiness by tossing out good soldiers for no reason. We were able to turn the tide in Washington by telling the stories of heroes who wanted nothing more than to fight for our country.
Heroes like Eric Alva. Or Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, an 20-year Air Force pilot who flew 88 combat missions and earned 9 air medals, including one for heroism. Victor was targeted under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and his unit was forced to deploy without him while he sat at a desk. Their stories are just a few of many featured in "The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which premier[ed] on HBO tonight at 8 PM. Hearing from them will remind you why this day is so important.
If you can find a place to watch this online (if you don't have HBO) I highly, highly recommend that you do. Some the information in it is quite interesting: homosexuals were not banned until WW2 in order to cut costs of treating likely cases of combat stress after the war, the first scientific study showing that sexuality had no bearing on performance was conducted by the military in 1957, among others.
