On July 23 the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the impact of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law banning service by openly lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. The hearing will be the first since Congress enacted "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" fifteen years ago.
"This hearing begins a conversation about the national security impact of losing qualified, capable service members," said Aubrey Sarvis, Executive Director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN)
"We commend Congresswoman Susan Davis, Chair of the Military Personnel
Subcommittee, for her leadership in reviewing this obsolete law."
Scheduled to testify against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" are U.S. Army Major General Vance Coleman (Ret.), U.S. Navy Captain Joan E. Darrah (Ret.), and former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric F. Alva.
General Coleman, who served as a Division Commander, sits on the SLDN Military Advisory Council. His decorations include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Captain Darrah's assignments included serving as Deputy Director of the Human Resources Directorate at the Office of Naval Intelligence. A graduate of the Naval War College, she also belongs to the SNDN Military Advisory Council.
Sergeant Alva was the first American wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served in the Marine Corps for 13 years.
Since its implementation in 1993, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has resulted in the dismissal of more than 12,500 men and women from the armed forces. Nearly 800 of those dismissed under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" had skills deemed "mission-critical" by the Department of Defense. More than 300 of those discharged were language specialists, including 58 Arabic linguists. The cost to U.S. taxpayers for maintaining the ban is estimated at more
than $363 million.
"'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' hurts military readiness and unit cohesion by discharging some of our best and brightest military personnel," added Sarvis. "With America's armed forces stretched thin, we urgently need a repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and the passage of H.R. 1246, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which permits lesbian, gay and bisexual
open service without discrimination."
The hearing is scheduled to be held on July 23 at 2 PM.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and related forms of intolerance. For more information, visit http://www.sldn.org.