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'Don't ask, don't tell' is history in US
Source: Agencies |
September 21, 2011, Wednesday
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AFTER years of debate and months of final preparations, the United States military passed a historic milestone yesterday with the repeal of a ban on gays serving openly in uniform.
Repeal of the 18-year-old legal ban took effect at 12:01am EDT, ending a prohibition that President Barack Obama said had forced gay and lesbian service members to "lie about who they are."
Some in Congress still oppose the change, but top Pentagon leaders have certified that it will not undermine the military's ability to recruit or to fight wars.
Obama issued a statement saying he is confident that lifting the ban will enhance US national security.
"As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love," he said. "As of today, our armed forces will no longer lose the extraordinary skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members."
The Army was distributing a business-as-usual statement yesterday saying simply, "The law is repealed," and reminding soldiers to treat each other fairly.
"From this day forward, gay and lesbian soldiers may serve in our Army with the dignity and respect they deserve," said the Army statement, signed by Army Secretary John M. McHugh, Army chief of staff General Raymond Odierno, and the Army's top enlisted soldier, Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III.
The commander of Air Mobility Command, General Raymond Johns, said that repeal is being taken in stride in the Air Force. "It really hasn't come up in any significant conversation" he has had recently, Johns said. "It's not a big deal."
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, scheduled a Pentagon news conference regarding the repeal.
At a San Diego bar, current and former troops danced and counted down to midnight. "You are all heroes," Sean Sala, a former Navy operations specialist, said. "The days of your faces being blacked out on the news - no more."
The head of Pentagon personnel put out a memo to the work force. "All service members are to treat one another with dignity and respect regardless of sexual orientation," the memo from Clifford Stanley said.
Pentagon press secretary George Little said on Monday the military is adequately prepared for the end of the current policy, commonly known as "don't ask, don't tell," under which gays can serve as long as they don't openly acknowledge their sexual orientation and commanders are not allowed to ask.
With the lifting of the ban, the Defense Department will publish revised regulations to reflect the new law allowing gays to serve openly.
The revisions, such as eliminating references to banned homosexual service, are in line with policy guidance that was issued by top Pentagon officials in January, after Obama signed the legislation that did away with the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Repeal of the 18-year-old legal ban took effect at 12:01am EDT, ending a prohibition that President Barack Obama said had forced gay and lesbian service members to "lie about who they are."
Some in Congress still oppose the change, but top Pentagon leaders have certified that it will not undermine the military's ability to recruit or to fight wars.
Obama issued a statement saying he is confident that lifting the ban will enhance US national security.
"As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love," he said. "As of today, our armed forces will no longer lose the extraordinary skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members."
The Army was distributing a business-as-usual statement yesterday saying simply, "The law is repealed," and reminding soldiers to treat each other fairly.
"From this day forward, gay and lesbian soldiers may serve in our Army with the dignity and respect they deserve," said the Army statement, signed by Army Secretary John M. McHugh, Army chief of staff General Raymond Odierno, and the Army's top enlisted soldier, Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III.
The commander of Air Mobility Command, General Raymond Johns, said that repeal is being taken in stride in the Air Force. "It really hasn't come up in any significant conversation" he has had recently, Johns said. "It's not a big deal."
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, scheduled a Pentagon news conference regarding the repeal.
At a San Diego bar, current and former troops danced and counted down to midnight. "You are all heroes," Sean Sala, a former Navy operations specialist, said. "The days of your faces being blacked out on the news - no more."
The head of Pentagon personnel put out a memo to the work force. "All service members are to treat one another with dignity and respect regardless of sexual orientation," the memo from Clifford Stanley said.
Pentagon press secretary George Little said on Monday the military is adequately prepared for the end of the current policy, commonly known as "don't ask, don't tell," under which gays can serve as long as they don't openly acknowledge their sexual orientation and commanders are not allowed to ask.
With the lifting of the ban, the Defense Department will publish revised regulations to reflect the new law allowing gays to serve openly.
The revisions, such as eliminating references to banned homosexual service, are in line with policy guidance that was issued by top Pentagon officials in January, after Obama signed the legislation that did away with the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
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