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FeedFort Shafter's Lt. Gen. Mixon Criticized for Don't Ask, Don't Tell Stance
Fort Shafter’s own Army Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. “Randy” Mixon made national headlines this week for his March 8 letter to the editor published in the military newspaper, Stars and Stripes, in which he opposed the repeal of the anti-gay policy, “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He encouraged people to follow his lead and write letters to elected officials. “I suspect many service members, their families, veterans and citizens are wondering what to do to stop this ill-advised repeal of a policy that has achieved a balance between a citizen’s desire to serve and accepted conduct,” he wrote. Apparently, if you’re a homosexual it’s not acceptable for you to run drills, carry a gun, deploy overseas or die for your country.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell,” has been in place since 1993, and over the last 17 years, approximately 13,000 people have been discharged because of their sexuality. The Pentagon took a step forward yesterday in announcing new limitations on the policy, making it harder for men and women to be discharged from the military. Both Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Secretary Robert Gates support the proposed repeal, and publicly deemed Mixon’s remarks “inappropriate.”
A person’s sexuality has nothing to do whether he or she can effectively serve. Heterosexual men and women have been serving side-by-side for years, even deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan together. Homosexuality is not a disease that prevents a person from doing his or her duty in the military.
I think it is unfortunate that men and women have to hide who they truly are in order to volunteer to serve their country, knowing that they may even die for their country. The repeal is an issue of equality, and a change that needs to happen.
Posted on Friday, March 26, 2010 in Permalink
