The following was sent to U.S. Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., 2419 Rayburn House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515-1302.
Dear Congressman Jackson:
Wednesday, March 2, 2005, [ marked ] a major milestone in AVER's long-time battle to end discrimination in the United States Armed Forces—the introduction of the aptly named Military Readiness Enhancement Act:a bill sponsored by Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., which, if passed, could signify the end of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'
Surrounding the introduction of the bill—which comes about at the heels of a just released GAO ( Government Accounting Office ) report revealing more than $200 million has been spent to recruit and retrain replacements for those kicked out under DADT—will be a flurry of activities. An assembly of high-ranking veterans of the various Armed Forces [ converged ] on Washington on Wednesday to show their support for the Military Readiness Enhancement Act.
Included among those who were coming out nationally in support of this bill were such notable high-ranking veteran officers as Brigadier General Virgil A. Richard, USA, ( Ret. ) , Rear Admiral Alan M. Steinman, USPHS/USCG ( Ret. ) , and Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, USA ( Ret. ) . Lt. Kennedy is one of the highest ranking members to ever come out in support of abolishing DADT, a policy, which has cost us hundreds of millions in taxpayer money. Not to mention the unnecessary loss of highly trained, highly motivated patriotic Americans who wish nothing more than to serve their country.
Simply put, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' doesn't work. GLBT servicemembers have a right to serve openly and honestly, as the proud, patriotic Americans they are. The true tragedy remains the fact that qualified—and sometimes overqualified—men and women are still being fired, in whatever number, simply for whom they love, with no regard given to performance or at what cost was spent to train that particular individual.
The military, for reasons of sexual orientation alone, is firing thousands of vital people such as doctors, intelligence experts, and foreign language specialists, critical personnel at a critical time in our nation's history—at a time when terrorism has become an ugly cloud we've been forced to live under, something that is unlikely to change, regardless of when or if the war in Iraq ever ends.
Now is the time to end this gross injustice. Now is the time to act. We urge you, on behalf of the estimated 65,000 GLBT personnel currently serving in our Armed Forces, to come out in support of this Bill.
James C. Darby
President, Chicago Chapter
American Veterans for Equal Rights
Note: Rep. Jackson is a co-sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement bill.