Repeal The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy

Repeal The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy

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Ms. BALDWIN. I want to thank my friend and colleague both for your service to your country and for your leadership on this very critical issue. And also thank you for yielding me some time this evening to talk about it.

I join you in strong support of H.R. 1283, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act. We have heard throughout the evening in 1993 Congress passed Don't Ask, Don't Tell, a law mandating the discharge of openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual service members.

At the time, this law was intended as sort of a compromise to allow gay and lesbian service members to serve in the military so long as they did not disclose their sexual orientation, so long as they hid being gay, lesbian, or bisexual. In other words, this compromise required our service members to conceal, at best, or to lie, at worst. And in an organization such as our military where trust and unit cohesion is so important, this was just untenable.

Fifteen years later, we know that Don't Ask, Don't Tell is misguided, unjust, and, flat out, it is a discriminatory policy. Not only does Don't Ask, Don't Tell damage the lives and livelihoods of our military professionals, it deprives our Armed Forces of their honorable service and needed skills.

The armed services have discharged almost 800 mission critical troops and at least 59 Arabic and nine Farsi linguists under Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the last 5 years. This is just indefensible.

Further, the financial cost alone of implementing Don't Ask, Don't Tell from fiscal year 1994 through 2003 was more than $363 million. Now, we can't afford to lose any more dedicated and talented service members to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and surely we can put these dollars, these resources, to much better use.

Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of meeting Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach. He's an exceptional serviceman who's being discharged under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law. Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach has honorably served his country for 18 years as an F-15E pilot. He received nine Air Medals, including a medal for heroism during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. And he was handpicked to protect airspace over Washington, D.C. after the Pentagon was attacked on September 11, 2001.

Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach, who has flown combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, against the Taliban and al Qaeda, continues to serve while the recommendation for his honorable discharge moves forward to a review board and eventually to the Secretary of the Air Force. Just 2 years away from his 20-year retirement, this dedicated serviceman stands to lose $46,000 a year in retirement and medical benefits for the rest of his life if he's discharged.

There are approximately one million lesbian and gay veterans in the United States today, as well as 65,000 lesbian and gay service members currently serving in our Armed Forces. Like Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach, these brave service members are fighting and dying for their country in two wars. They're making sacrifices, and some are making the ultimate sacrifice, just like their straight counterparts. It makes no sense, and I just believe it's flat out wrong to discharge capable service members for something as irrelevant as their sexual orientation.

Now, as my colleagues have discussed this evening, the Military Readiness Act would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against any member of the Armed Forces or any person seeking to become a member. Further, the Act would authorize the re-accession into the Armed Forces of otherwise qualified individuals previously separated under Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Finally, the Act would require that regulations governing the personal conduct of members of the Armed Forces are written and enforced without regard to sexual orientation. It's long past time for Congress to act to end discrimination against gays, lesbians and bisexuals in our Armed Forces by passing the Military Readiness Enhancement Act. So I stand ready to join my colleagues in repealing this dishonorable law as soon as possible and restoring justice and equality in our Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, before I conclude, I really do want to commend you, my colleague from Pennsylvania, Congressman PATRICK MURPHY, for your bold leadership and your work in helping us move closer to repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. You have taken the lead in advancing this bill, and I look forward to working with you to see that day come.

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