Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, tonight, October 6, at 10:03 p.m., we have a very special night. My colleagues and I stand here tonight to champion the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell is important. It's important for three reasons.

Number one, it is vital to our national security that we repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. We have kicked out over 13,000 troops since we enacted this law 16 years ago. We have kicked out over 400 troops just this year, in 2009. When our commanders on the ground are desperate for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, now is not the time to throw them out-- not for any type of sexual misconduct, but just because they're gay.

Number two, do we need to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell because it is doing right by our taxpayers? It is costing the American taxpayer $1.3 billion to throw these young American heroes out of our military just because of their sexual orientation. It costs the American taxpayer $60,000 to recruit these young heroes to come in, to train them up, to make them warriors, and then we just disregard them just because of their sexual orientation.

And, lastly, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy goes against the very fabric of what makes our country the greatest country on Earth, the fact that we're all created equal.

Mr. Speaker, we have colleagues, Members of this great House here tonight to argue about the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. There are 176 cosponsors to repeal this act, but one of these Members is the highest-ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve the United States Congress. He was a command sergeant major. That is the highest rank you can become in the United States Army in the enlisted ranks. He is a sophomore Congressman from Minnesota. His name is Tim Walz. He is an American patriot and a hero, and I'd like to turn it over to my colleague and my friend, Tim Walz from the great State of Minnesota.

I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. There are two points that he mentioned that I would like to highlight. The first is the fact that there are 27 other nations that allow their troops to serve openly. Some of our toughest allies--Great Britain, Israel, the Aussies--they all allow their troops to serve openly with no detrimental effects.

Secondly, the command sergeant major mentioned Iwo Jima. I spoke to 250 senior leaders in the United States Army yesterday, and, unsolicited, I got an e-mail this morning from one of those colonels that I met with. And this Army colonel wrote me a note, and he said, ``In fact, gay men and women have been serving honorably in our military for decades.'' He sent me a moving passage from a book about World War II entitled, ``Stories from the Pacific.'' Reflecting on his experiences, a Marine wrote:

``That lesson of tolerance was well learned by the men in our company. During three amphibious campaigns in which we took part in Bougainville to Iwo Jima, valor and unselfishness were commonplace. I saw bravery and sacrifice all around me.

``One of the most courageous men I met was our Navy corpsman, Billy Hauger, a teenage boy who always put our well-being ahead of his own. In combat, he cared for us. He bandaged our wounds and comforted our men as they died. Often he would leave his position of relative safety and move out into the hail of enemy gunfire to treat a downed marine or pull a man to safety.

``On Iwo Jima, he risked his life time and time again to take care of his fellow men. On his last rescue attempt, he was badly wounded when a Japanese Nambu machine gun put a round through his thigh and another high in his chest. Billy's wounds were life-threatening, and he was quickly transported out to the hospital ship for treatment. But Billy didn't make it.

``Billy was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, our Nation's second highest honor for extraordinary heroism under fire. I loved Billy Hauger then and I will always love him. Billy Hauger was a homosexual. Every single marine in our company will be proud to stand with him and call him friend and brother.''

He's looking down from heaven right now, and he's looking at us in this hall today. And I'm proud to stand with every one of you as we champion the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

With that, I yield to my colleague, the congresswoman from California, Mrs. Lois Capps.

I thank the lady from California.

I would like to highlight the fact that Nathaniel Frank and Aaron Bell can do a great job at the Palm Center. They are truly our battle buddies in this cause to do what's right by our soldiers, our marines, our airmen, our sailors, and our coastguardsmen. And that's our job tonight.

Now it's my honor to turn it over to the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Jared Polis, who happens to be my sister and brother-in-law's Congressman, and I know Brian and Kathy Mergolis out there in Westminster, Colorado, are probably watching, and I would like to turn it over now to their Congressman, Mr. Polis.

I would like to highlight of this report--which is a terrific report--Colonel Prakash writes, ``There are potential lessons to learn from other countries that have lifted the ban on homosexuals serving openly. There was no mass exodus of heterosexuals, there was no mass `coming-out' of homosexuals. Prior to lifting their bans, in Canada 62 percent of servicemen stated that they would refuse to share showers with a gay soldier, and in the United Kingdom, two-thirds of males stated that they would not willingly serve in the military if gays were allowed. In both cases, after lifting their bans, the result was ``no effect.''

In a survey of over 100 experts from Australia, Canada, Israel, and the United Kingdom, it was found that all agreed the decision to lift the ban on homosexuals had no impact on military performance, readiness, cohesion, or ability to recruit or retain. Nor did it increase the HIV rate among troops.''

He concludes his article by saying, as you mentioned, ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell has been costly both in personnel and treasure. In an attempt to allow homosexual servicemembers to serve quietly, a law was created by this Congress that forces a compromise in integrity, conflicts with the American creed of `equality for all,' places commanders in difficult moral dilemmas, and is ultimately more damaging to the unit cohesion its stated purpose is to preserve.

``Furthermore, after a careful examination, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly. In fact, the necessarily speculative psychological predictions are that it will not impact combat effectiveness.

``Based on this research, it is not time for the administration to reexamine the issue; rather, it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban.''

And that, my friends, is from the Joint Force Quarterly. That is a publication from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of our country.

With that, I would like to now turn it over to the congresswoman from California, Ms. Lynn Woolsey.

I thank the gentlelady from

Maine. That was powerful. I tell you, you are doing a fantastic job as a new Member of Congress. We are proud to have you and lucky to have you in this Hall.

With that, I would like to turn it over to gentleman from New York (Mr. Arcuri), the former prosecutor from Utica, an Italian Catholic like my mother, who came in in the 2006 class.

I thank the gentleman from New York. As Mr. Arcuri said, we should all weigh in and we shouldn't just leave it to those who have served in uniform. I tell you, in the Congress 40 years ago, over 75 percent had military experience. Now it is 23 percent of us here have military experience. I will tell you that you don't need to be a veteran, someone who wore the cloth of our country, to weigh in. And that is why it is great to have patriots like Mike Arcuri, Chellie Pingree, and like Mike Quigley, from all over this country, to stand up and do the right thing.

With that, I now turn it over to one of the true champions of equality in this Congress. The Congresswoman from Wisconsin has been in my home district in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and we keep asking her to come back because she has more fans there than I do, I think. Luckily, she is not running against me in a primary. But I will tell you, Ms. Tammy Baldwin is a true champion for all of us with what is right in America.

I thank the gentlelady from Wisconsin. And as she mentioned Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach, the fact that we trained him and spent millions of dollars on his training to do what's necessary to keep our family safe here at home and in a faraway place like Iraq and Afghanistan, and just to throw him out and just discharge him like that is really a stain. It is a stain on our military. And it's a stain on this Congress for not acting quick enough.

It reminds me--you know, I had the great honor to teach at West Point. I taught constitutional law at the United States Military Academy at West Point. I was there from 2000 to 2003. And Forbes Magazine just rated West Point the number one college in America. It costs the American taxpayer about a quarter-million dollars to train each one of those cadets to become second lieutenants, to become leaders of character, not just for the 5-year active duty military commitment, but for a lifetime of service.

One of those cadets when I taught there was Lieutenant Dan Choi. Lieutenant Choi is an Arabic speaker, an Army officer, an Iraq war veteran and another one, one of the 13,000 that we just threw out of the military, not for any type of sexual misconduct. And let's be clear. If there's sexual misconduct, whether homosexual or of a heterosexual nature, throw them out. But just because he was gay, just because of his sexual orientation, and that is wrong. I'd now like to turn it over to my colleague, Mr. Jared Polis, for any comments that he may have.

I appreciate those comments. Also, another former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Colin Powell, has actually come out and said that it is now time to reevaluate it. So in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, to the men and women at home, across our country and overseas in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, now is the time to act in the sense of urgency to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It is vital to our national security. No longer can we afford to let go of 13,000 qualified and honorable troops. We must do right by our taxpayer. It makes no sense that we spend $1.3 billion to train these heroes up and then to just kick them out because of their sexual orientation.

And lastly, this policy is simply un-American. It goes against the very fabric which makes our country great, that we're all created equal.

Thank you. I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his service as well.

Let me briefly try to put a human face on this. When you don't put a person on it, you can imagine it is hard to really understand the human cost with such a policy. I will give you two.

First of all, Lee Reinhart, 4 years after graduating from high school and after spending time at both public and private universities, Lee Reinhart decided he had simply not found his calling. So in September of 1995, Lee surprised his friends and family by joining the Navy. Lee served on board the USS Cowpens as an operations specialist working his way up to becoming a second class petty officer in the Combat Information Center, tracking both surface and air contacts.

While serving, Lee earned several medals and ribbons, including the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal. Lee's tour of duty in the Navy was completed in August of 1999. After time in the Reserves and the events of September 11, 2001, Lee wanted to return to active duty, this time to make it a career. This time he chose the Coast Guard. But soon after joining, Lee became a target and was being investigated. Lee was given two choices: he could admit he was gay and be allowed to leave the military peacefully, or he could stay and undergo an investigation with the same end result, discharge.

The point of this story is obvious. Lee had completed a full enlistment in one branch and earned an honorable discharge, but while serving in another branch, the uneven and inequitable implementation of Don't Ask, Don't Tell ended his career.

The implementation of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is uneven and subject to individuals such as Lee to the whims and prejudices of individuals.

Second Lieutenant Sandy Tsao, like the President of the United States, our dear friend Sandy is a fellow former South Sider, this time from the Bridgeport neighborhood. Sunday, February 8, 2009, marked the 1-year service anniversary of her active duty full-time service to her country. Shortly thereafter she received an honorable discharge because of her orientation.

Ms. Tsao wrote a letter to the President of the United States. She writes: ``I am a second lieutenant currently serving in the U.S. Army. In addition to being an officer, I am a Christian, a woman and a Chinese American. I am proud of all these identities. Lastly, I am also a lesbian. On September 21, 2007, I was appointed as an Army officer. In the oath of office, I swore that I would support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. Unfortunately, I will not be able to fulfill this oath because the current policy regarding sexual orientation contradicts my values as a moral human being.

Today is the Chinese New Year. I hope it will bring good fortune to you in your newly elect office. Today is also the day I inform my chain of command of who I am. One of the seven Army values is integrity. It means choosing to do the right thing no matter what the consequences may be. As a Christian, this also means living an honest life. I cannot live up to these values unless my workplace `provides an environment free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behavior.' '' That is an excerpt from the U.S. Army's Equal Opportunity Branch.

``We have the best military in the world, and I would like to continue to be part of it. My mother can tell you it is my dream to serve our country. I have fought and overcome many barriers to arrive at the point I am today. This is the only battle I fear I may lose. Even if it is too late for me, I do hope, Mr. President, you will help us win the war against prejudice so that future generations will continue to work together and fight for our freedoms regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin or sexual orientation.''

For 24-year-old Sandy Tsao, we are too late. For the many other gay and lesbian servicemembers, our repeal may just be in time.

In my mind, having gone to Iraq, I looked at the brave men and women willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country, many of them as young as my own children. And I will tell you what I didn't see. I didn't see those as black or white, men or women, straight or gay, Democrats or Republicans. I saw Americans. I saw warriors. Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a policy so fundamentally hypocritical that it encourages citizens to put their lives on the line to serve a country built on freedom and democracy as long as they lie about who they are.

Lastly, I'm reminded always at times like this what President Lincoln said at Gettysburg. Now, it has been interpreted many ways, but I would like to think that the essence of what President Lincoln was getting to was, 87 years ago we created a country based on certain principles, the most important of which is that all of us are created equal.

What he was saying in Gettysburg is, Did we really mean it? Did we really mean everyone? And I ask my colleagues to think about that, especially in time of two wars, with storm clouds gathering over North Korea and Iran. Did we really mean it? Do we really mean it today, that all of us are created equal? I think we all are warriors, at least that much. Thank you.

PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I thank the gentleman from Illinois. Those personal stories of our heroes that wrote to you are very powerful and very moving. I will tell you since I took over the leadership of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell by enacting the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, I have gotten letters from all over the country and from overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one of those letters that touched my heart and frankly broke my heart was from a soldier in Afghanistan. See, when I served in Iraq 6 years ago, I had 19 of my fellow paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division that gave the ultimate sacrifice. But one of them committed suicide. One of those 19 never made it home to see his family again. But this letter broke my heart because, and you will see, this hero was dealing with the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

He writes: ``Sir, as you know, military spouses and other family members are important parts of the larger `team' that is essential for our national defense. But such support is fundamentally closed off to the partners of gay servicemembers, even though these partners may be making the exact the same sacrifices as their straight counterparts.

``And it's even worse. Gay servicemembers and their committed partners have to worry that an overheard phone call, an intercepted email, or other type of compromised private communication could lead to a humiliating, career-destroying investigation. This is no way to treat American patriots.

``I write of these matters from personal experience. When the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred, I was in a serious long-term relationship. The extensive active duty I did after 9/11 put a serious strain on this relationship. The relationship fell completely apart during my first deployment to Afghanistan in 2003.

``One of the big risk factors contributing to soldier suicides is the breakup of serious relationships. This is exactly what I experienced, and in the context of a combat zone deployment. I can still vividly remember sitting alone in Afghanistan, cradling my government-issued pistol in my hands and fighting the urge to blow my own brains out.

``What made that personal struggle in Afghanistan particularly difficult was the isolation that was imposed on me as a consequence of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. A straight soldier in a similar state of crisis could go to his commander, his first sergeant, or his `battle buddy' for support. But if I as a gay soldier had gone to my commander with the details of my situation, he would have been obligated to start the process of kicking me out of the Army.

``The Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is wrong. I say this not just as an individual soldier, but also as someone with extensive experience as both a platoon leader and company commander. When I have been in such leadership positions, I have had straight soldiers share with me some of the most shockingly intimate details about their personal lives. I was glad that these straight soldiers put their trust in me, because I was able to offer each one the counsel or moral support that he or she needed at that time.

``Gay soldiers should also have that right to go to a commander, a first sergeant, or a battle buddy and not have to the worry about the ramifications of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. The Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy shackles the hands of leaders like me. It prevents us from giving all of our troops the supportive leadership they deserve. The Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy throws up walls between battle buddies. It is an ugly stain on our national honor.''

I now yield to the new freshman, the gentlewoman from the great State of Maine (Ms. Pingree).

Thank you for highlighting some of the research that was done in your district regarding this matter. And I would like to thank Representative Patrick Murphy for taking this challenge on, making our military stronger, saving taxpayer money.

I would like to bring the attention of our viewers to a very recent report that was published. It's called ``The Efficacy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' by Colonel Om Prakash. You can find it on the Internet. This was a study that was done by a student at the National War College. It actually won recently the 2009 Secretary of Defense National Security Essay Competition.

One of the quotes on the cover is from General Omar Bradley, and it says, ``Experiments within the Army in the solution of social problems are fraught with danger to efficiency, discipline, and morale.''

Now, of course this was not in relation to our current discussion. It was in reference to the racial integration of the United States military by Harry Truman in 1948.

At some point the experimentation, the so-called experimentation, becomes the exclusion. At this point in the evolution of our society, it is more experimental to use the military as a social incubator to try and deny gay and lesbian soldiers from serving than simply allowing them to serve. The military isn't the place for evaluating whether or not we as a society accept or don't accept homosexuality. It should be designed as a fighting force to defend our Nation. And anything that compromises that weakens our military and is not in our interest as a country.

The report by Colonel Prakash--allow me to quote from it--it says, ``If one considers strictly the lost manpower and expense, `Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is a costly failure.''

Colonel Prakash further quotes the GAO's estimates that the cost is $190.5 million for the previous 10 years of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Not only does it cost money, but it costs lives. Whenever we put anything other than our best foot forward in terms of the very most capable personnel for every particular mission, we jeopardize the lives of other men and women serving in our military. We owe it to the men and women serving in our military to ensure that the most capable person is in every job, regardless of the race or the sexual orientation of that individual.

Colonel Prakash's report ends, ``Based on this research, it is not time for the administration to reexamine the issue; rather, it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban.''

We have a number of other speakers here tonight, Mr. Murphy, and that is a testimony to your leadership and the importance of this issue. I look forward to engaging in a discussion after we've all had a chance to say a few words.

You know, I'm struck by the sharing of the number of stories, a lot of similarities, many service men and women over the last decade and a half since this policy has been implemented, kicked out for no good reason. You know, what company, and I come from the business sector, could do this kind of thing? It doesn't increase your competitiveness. If you have people that you put hundreds of thousands of dollars into training, and then you don't like who they date and so you say, you're fired. You have people with excellent performance ratings, top of the category and you are saying, sorry, we're going to put somebody who might have a lower rating in your job because, again, we don't like who you date.

That's no way to run a company. It's no way to run a country. It's no way to run the best military. And what we owe to every one of our men and women who are in uniform, who put their lives at risk every day, is to make sure that we put our best foot forward militarily and do everything in our power to protect every life of every man and woman who serves. And when we remove people who would perform better, who are needed for certain functions, who have to cost more to retrain, we jeopardize the lives of other soldiers who are serving with them.

This also has an effect on recruitment and retention within the military. I heard a few weeks ago from somebody who's currently serving. He was facing a decision of whether to reenlist for another few years. He said, You know, when do you think don't ask don't tell will end? If you think it's going to end soon I'm going to re-up for another 5-year period. If not, I'm probably going to get out now.

I didn't know what to tell him. I said, well, Representative Murphy's working on it, and I have every degree of confidence in him. I said, I hope that we will get it done in the next year or two. I think we will.

If he chose to leave the military, that's our loss. That's our military's lost. The cost of replacing that individual, the cost of training somebody to get up to speed at a time when we need more men and women to serve in uniform, is a cost to taxpayers and a cost to our national security. All of these stories resound that we are engaging in an extremely short sighted policy. How can be it be argued that all of these excellent men and women with great command, great evaluations that are kicked out for no particular reason other than who they date, how can it be argued that that makes our military stronger? It simply doesn't. And we need to correct this policy to ensure that we have the very best military to defend our national interests here and abroad.

In addition to General Shalikashvili, one of the original cosponsors of the bill, former Representative Barr of Georgia, has come out in favor of the repeal. The former Commander in Chief of the United States military, President Bill Clinton, who signed Don't Ask, Don't Tell, has come out in favor of a repeal. The times have changed, and what was, in our judgment at one time, a decision of military preparedness, it might have been that good minds disagreed with whether it was in our interest back in the early nineties, that idea has changed. The tone of the country has changed, and it is more than time. The time has long passed to end this policy of discrimination within our military.

Thank you to my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Thank you for your service in the military. Thank you for your leadership in this Congress and, especially, thank you for standing forward on this important issue. The colleagues who have joined us here tonight understand this issue is one of civil liberties, of basic human dignity and of national security.

As my colleague said, I had the privilege and the honor to serve this Nation for 24 years in uniform. I can tell you, there is no greater privilege than putting on the uniform of the United States Army and trying to do the best

you can to make sure that our personal liberties and our security of this Nation are maintained. The idea of denying that privilege and that honor to any American is simply unfathomable to me. It makes no sense. I can tell you, approaching this from a perspective--I'm a schoolteacher by profession--I had students that I taught in the classroom, coached on the football field, trained in my Guard unit, and they went off to Iraq to fight for this Nation. They went off to Afghanistan to fight for this Nation. Not once, not once in my career did the question of sexual orientation come up. Not once was the ability of that unit to deliver the security and deliver their mission ever predicated on sexual orientation. Not once did I see that this Nation was safer because a soldier was removed because of sexual orientation.

This issue and in the position I was in as a senior enlisted soldier, my whole purpose in life was to make sure our troops were trained; make sure they were prepared to do the mission and make sure their well- being was taken care of; make sure they could pass their physical proficiency test, make sure they could fire their weapon to the best of their ability; make sure they understood the mission and they understood the tactics to carry out the mission that was assigned to them to protect this Nation.

The professionalism of our troops is beyond question. The professionalism to be able to carry out a mission as assigned to them and to fall back upon their training has led us to have the most successful and proficient military in the world. The idea that these soldiers would be degraded because of the sexual orientation of someone doing the exact same thing alongside them is not only a fallacy; it is degrading to the professionalism of most soldiers there.

We serve today, right alongside in Afghanistan, 12 nations that allow their military to serve as openly gay and lesbian soldiers. Not one incident in that conflict has arisen because of that. And as my colleague from Pennsylvania so clearly pointed out, as that generation of young people willingly raise their hand at a time of two wars to serve this Nation, we're turning out some of the most skilled warriors and turning them out of the military for a bias on sexual orientation that has no place, has no need, and is not undermining our security.

My colleagues here tonight are going to make and have already made a very eloquent case for this. The United States public has a very strong preference that we allow people to serve in the military. We allow them to do their duty. We make sure that our Arab linguists are there, and we've sent many of them out the door because of this archaic and outdated policy. It doesn't reflect the values of this Nation. It doesn't reflect what we know in the military as a sense of trust amongst comrades.

There is a very eloquent quote--I think one of the most powerful speeches ever given, and it was given by the Marine Corps' first rabbi, Rabbi Gittleshon on Iwo Jima. Rabbi Gittleshon was chosen and asked to give the eulogy over the dead at the Battle of Iwo Jima. There was a strong bias about having a rabbi give last rites over Christian soldiers. The decision was made to have three different services. But during Rabbi Gittleshon's remarks, he was very clear about this: an enlisted man and an officer lay dead together, black and white, rich and poor, sons of immigrants and fourth-generation Americans. Not one of those people asked the other why they were there. His point was, theirs was the purest democracy, arm in arm, brothers and sisters in arms fighting for this Nation. And for any of us to discriminate against another because of any perceived bias was to disregard and disrespect the valor and the memory of those who have served.

So I want to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania, Captain Murphy, an Airborne soldier, served honorably in Iraq and has served this Nation well. He came to Congress to do the same thing and has courageously stood up time and time again for what's right, what's for the best security of this country and what keeps in the best traditions of civil liberties in this country.

So I stand with my captain side by side on this. I can assure the American public, the professionalism of our force and the unwavering commitment to this country of the military is in absolutely secure hands, and to give other Americans the ability to serve and be a part of that is something that this Congress must do. So Captain Murphy, I congratulate you. I thank you for doing this. I'm proud to stand with you. You have over 170 of our colleagues with you on this. It's time to move this forward. It's time to erase this mistake for our security and for Americans. I'll be with you every step of the way. So thank you for that.

With that, I yield back to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to express my support for repealing the United States military's ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy.

I want to thank my colleague, Congressman Patrick Murphy for organizing this Special Order Hour on the importance and urgent need for repealing ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell.''

I have long been a friend and an ally of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and I am committed to the cause of equality.

I understand first hand discrimination based on racial prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19th, 1942 which forced 120,000 Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II.

Many of these families, including mine, lost their property and possessions during the several years they were jailed behind barbed wire.

Once again we find ourselves in perilous times. Our country and our civil liberties are constantly in jeopardy after the attacks of September 11th launched our nation in a ``war'' against terror.

It is more important than ever to speak up against unjust policies. There is much to be learned from my experience during World War II, as well as the experience of other groups about the destructive consequences of discrimination.

For over 60 years, it has been the U.S. military's official policy to exclude individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identification. Reflecting one of our country's last officially sanctioned forms of bigotry, this policy stigmatizes patriotic Americans by excluding them from military service.

In 1993, President Clinton introduced the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy as a `compromise' when he was not able to overcome Congressional opposition to lifting the ban on LGBT participation in the armed forces. Unfortunately, this policy works to silence LGBT personnel among the ranks of our military, making them invisible to the American public they bravely volunteer to protect and defend.

Notwithstanding the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy, countless veterans have served and continue to serve selflessly in the defense of our nation. Yet while thousands of our men and women continually serve to protect our freedom and liberty and put their lives on the line to do so, many are dismissed once their orientation or identification becomes known.

This policy is not only unfair to LGBT individuals, it also hinders our military's ability to perform its mission. Despite our need for language specialists, almost 800 mission-critical troops and at least 59 Arabic and nine Farsi linguists have been discharged under ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' in the last five years solely based on their sexual orientation.

It is the right of all Americans to live open lives within society, free from prejudice, intolerance, and fear, irrespective of race, ethnicity, age and perceived sexual orientation and gender. The contributions made by LGBT veterans, and those in active duty in an atmosphere hostile to them, underscores the tremendous sacrifices they make to serve this nation and I commend and thank them for their commitment and perseverance.

I have the honor of knowing Ashwin Madia, a former Marine Corps JAG officer now living in Minnesota, who was one of the first attorneys to successfully defend a fellow Marine from treatment under the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy and who told me about his work on this case. If convicted this Marine would have faced an ``Other Than Honorable Discharge'' and lost his benefits.

When this Marine returned to service, he was welcomed by his comrades and was treated with respect and honor. Sadly, since the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy went into effect in 1994, nearly 13,000 servicemembers were not as fortunate and were discharged.

Today there are over one million gay and lesbian veterans and over 65,000 LGBT members of the military serving in fear of being discharged for simply being themselves.

Repealing ``Don't Ask Don't Tell'' is long overdue. On this the military courts have spoken, military leaders have spoken, servicemembers have spoken, and our President has spoken. Today Congress is speaking as well. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009, H.R. 1283, has 176 cosponsors united and committed to ending this discriminatory policy.

It is time to support our troops by honoring their right to live and serve as their true selves. It's time to ask, it's time to tell, and it's time to get over it.

As policy makers, we are often faced with choices between what is urgent and what is important. But it's a false choice. The urgent issues of the day should never drown out what's important. Full equality for every person under the law is both urgent and important.

Thank you to our active military and to our veterans for their service to this great country. It is in your honor that this Congress will ensure every women and man wishing to serve can do so, without fear or prejudice.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to end discrimination of LGBT people in the workplace and in our immigration policies as well expanding hate crimes to include perceived sexual orientation and gender identity and providing Federal recognition of the commitment between same-sex couples.