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More Military Personnel to Testify on DADT


John J. Sheehan x390 (wiki) | ADVOCATE.COM

Retired Marine general John J. Sheehan

More armed services veterans are scheduled to testify to the Senate regarding a repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

According to an advisory issued Wednesday, retired Marine general John J. Sheehan, former Air Force major Michael D. Almy, and former Navy lieutenant Jenny Kopfstein will testify to the Senate Armed Services Committee March 18. Sheehan will testify in favor of maintaining the policy, Almy and Kopfstein in favor of repealing it.

According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Kopfstein told her commanders, after years of service, that she was a lesbian, and they allowed her to continue to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom. Nineteen months after coming out — and three months shy of completing her deployment — the Navy Board of Inquiry concluded in 2002 that there were grounds to discharge her under "don't ask, don't tell."

Sheehan served in the Marine Corps for 35 years and was the Atlantic supreme allied commander for NATO as well as commander in chief for the U.S. Atlantic Command. He retired in 1997.

Almy was discharged from the Air Force in 2006 under "don't ask, don't tell" after 13 years of service. On National Public Radio last month, Almy said that there is little merit to the suggestions of lawmakers who say gays and lesbians should be segregated from heterosexual colleagues.

"Everyone in the military today serves with someone that they are uncomfortable with for one reason or another," he said. "And the fact of the matter is they all have to be professionals. They all have to do their job and perform the mission and that's what makes them a professional military force, the greatest military in the world today. They get beyond those uncomfortable situations."

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FILE UNDER:  DADT

Reader Comments
  • Name: Katie Murphy
    Date posted: 3/11/2010 6:25:03 PM
    Hometown: Chicago

    Comment:

    End DADT, or lets have 50000 or a 100000 gay military demand release under DADT. And the repubs will be in quite a hole if you think about it - their strongest suit - national (in)security will blow up in their face. Lets make this happen

  • Name: Victor J Kinzer
    Date posted: 3/11/2010 11:05:04 AM
    Hometown: Bloomington, IN

    Comment:

    Mark: Do you really think the Republicans will control Congress after the mid term elections? They really aren't doing anything to endear themselves to moderates. I mean nothing, nada, zip, zero, zilch. The far right base is running candidates against Republican incumbents, and it looks like we might actually get health care reform, albeit watered down. That health care reform puts a big hole in the "Democrats are ineffective" argument. It by no means kills the argument, but it weakens it. I don't think there is any question that the Dems are going to be running on leaner majorities, and the Republicans taking a slender majority back certainly isn't out of the question, but it isn't even in the same area code as "a sure thing". The year long study is because they need some action on this to satisfy their base also known as us, but are afraid of tackling a hot button issue like this in an election year.

  • Name: Andrew
    Date posted: 3/11/2010 3:16:49 AM
    Hometown: Sacramento, CA

    Comment:

    How much time have you got? : )

  • Name: mike
    Date posted: 3/10/2010 11:31:14 PM
    Hometown: cincinnati

    Comment:

    All of this posturing is for the benefit of whom? I think the speed limit should be 90, but the law says 65. I live with it. People in the military are trained to follow rules. No more gay lies in the military would be the new rule. Live with it. Quit wasting taxpayer money. We could use the money to create some jobs or to extend benefits to the unemployed. WTF is wrong with this country.

  • Name: Mark
    Date posted: 3/10/2010 10:33:42 PM
    Hometown: Wappingers Falls

    Comment:

    Since when are people in the military asked what policies they'd like? Did they testify about not wanting to wake at 6am, go to Iraq, go to Aftganistan? Why are they testifying about this?

  • Name: Mark
    Date posted: 3/10/2010 10:31:52 PM
    Hometown: Wappingers Falls

    Comment:

    What a waste of our tax dollars. The military and the Republican party have plans to kill the repeal after November's election when the Republicans will control the Congress. That's the reason for the so called one year study. The Democrats MUST repeal the unconstitutional DADT NOW attached to the military budget! They have to stop talking about this issue as a purely civil rights issue and start talking about the millions of dollars wasted on it and how it has weakened our military.

  • Name: kris
    Date posted: 3/10/2010 7:56:35 PM
    Hometown: jax, fl

    Comment:

    who's the turd in the picture?



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