12,000 Flags
Placed on National Mall to Honor DADT Discharges

Five LGBT advocacy groups placed 12,000 flags on Washington's National Mall on Friday in an effort to recognize the 12,000 men and women who have been kicked out of the military because of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

The three-day tribute, "12,000 Flags for 12,000 Patriots," was organized by the Human Rights Campaign, Log Cabin Republicans, Servicemembers United, Liberty Education Forum, and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network in hopes of showing that the policy, enacted in 1993 under President Bill Clinton, wastes valuable resources available to the U.S. military.

"Every year, thousands of highly skilled gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members are discharged simply because of who they are," HRC president Joe Solmonese said in a press release. "We must repeal this discriminatory policy and ensure that the U.S. military can recruit and retain the best and the brightest troops regardless of their sexual orientation."

HRC has also approached Democratic presidential candidates to ask how they would overturn the policy. The statements that have been released to date -- including those from Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama -- are available below.

Fifty-five percent of Americans support repealing the policy, according to a recent Harris poll. A December 2006 Zogby poll of soldiers returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan found that 73% of soldiers were "comfortable...in the presence of gays" and that only 37% were opposed to repealing the policy.

The "12,000 Flags for 12,000 Patriots" installation will be on display Friday, November 30, through Sunday, December 2, on the National Mall, corner of 14th Street and Constitution Avenue.

The following statements were provided by Democratic presidential candidates to the question "If you are elected president, what concrete steps would you take to overturn 'don't ask, don't tell?'" Republican candidates declined to respond. (A statement from Gov. Bill Richardson has yet to be released.)

Sen. Barack Obama

Fourteen years ago, the Democratic Party faced a test of leadership, and our party failed that test. We had an opportunity to be leaders on the world stage in eliminating discrimination against gay and lesbian service members, to recognize the patriotism and heroism of the hundreds of thousands of gay and lesbian citizens who have served our country. Instead, we bowed to fear and prejudice. We were told that American soldiers weren't ready to serve next to gay and lesbian comrades. We were told that our airmen, sailors, and marines would lose their "unit cohesion" if we implemented a policy of equality. And so, rather than embracing leadership and principle, we embraced "don't ask, don't tell" -- a policy that is antithetical to the values of honor and integrity that our military holds most dear. Patriotic gay and lesbian Americans are now told that they may serve their country only if they hide their true identities. They are forced to live a lie as the price of risking their lives for their country.

Fourteen years later, the United States of America lags far behind. We lag behind our military allies, who are repudiating discrimination against lesbian and gay soldiers in ever increasing numbers -- in Great Britain, Canada, Israel, nearly every NATO member in Europe -- all with no impact upon military readiness and performance. And our politicians lag behind the American people, who now call for the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" in super-majority numbers. It is time for a change.

As president, I will work with Congress and place the weight of my administration behind enactment of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which will make nondiscrimination the official policy of the U.S. military. I will task the Defense Department and the senior command structure in every branch of the armed forces with developing an action plan for the implementation of a full repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." And I will direct my secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to develop procedures for taking re-accession requests from those qualified service members who were separated from the armed forces under "don't ask, don't tell" and still want to serve their country. The eradication of this policy will require more than just eliminating one statute. It will require the implementation of anti-harassment policies and protocols for dealing with abusive or discriminatory behavior as we transition our armed forces away from a policy of discrimination. The military must be our active partners in developing those policies and protocols. That work should have started long ago. It will start when I take office.

America is ready to get rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. All that is required is leadership.

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Sen. Joseph Biden

I would end "don't ask, don't tell." It is antiquated, unworkable, and wrong.

I've been to Afghanistan. I've been to Iraq. Other countries -- our allies serving alongside U.S. forces in Iraq -- permit open service. It has had no negative impact on force morale or the performance of our brave soldiers.

We don't have enough troops to fulfill our current missions. But more than 300 language experts have been fired under "don't ask, don't tell" including more than 50 who were fluent in Arabic. More than 9,000 soldiers have been dismissed since the policy took effect in 1993. The idea that we turn away brave and patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve solely because of their sexual orientation is ridiculous and totally irrational.

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Sen. Christopher Dodd

Tolerance, fairness, and opportunity are fundamental American values. From my strong support for civil unions and work to fight to extend equal benefits and rights to same-sex couples, I believe we should all approach issues facing the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community as if they affected their own children and grandchildren -- because it might.

That includes "don't ask, don't tell." Right now we need to be encouraging, not discouraging, as many good people as possible to serve in the military. And I believe excluding people from service based on their sexual orientation is counterproductive and does a great disservice to our men and women in uniform and our country. Heroes like Marine staff sergeant Eric Alva, the first American wounded in the war in Iraq, should be treated like any other brave soldier who risks his or her life defending our nation.

That is why I believe the time to put an end to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy has come -- a change I called for some time ago. As president, I would call for a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to draw up plans that put an end to this policy within six months.

I know some remain opposed to this idea -- it was only a few months ago that Gen. Peter Pace, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made comments regarding gays and lesbians serving in our military that I believed were completely out of line.

But presidential leadership isn't about taking the easy path -- it's about bringing people together to get results. For a quarter century, I have been turning Democratic principles into national policies. And ending "don't ask, don't tell" will be one policy I insist upon. At a time of war, when we are having a hard enough time recruiting people -- good people who could go on to serve our country honorably -- that is the kind of leadership we need in the White House. With so much at stake, we simply cannot afford to spend another second or dime discriminating against anyone who wants to serve in our nation's military.

Honor, integrity, and the willingness to sacrifice ought to be the determining factors as to whether or not men and women can wear the uniform of the United States military -- not sexual orientation. As Marine staff sergeant Alva knows, repealing "don't ask, don't tell" is an idea whose time has come. And with the right leadership in this election, it will.

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John Edwards

It is long past time to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and to allow openly gay men and women to serve in the military. It is critical to our national security that we have the best people in our military. Gay men and women have continually served our country with honor and bravery, and we should honor their commitment and never turn away anyone who is willing to serve their country because of their sexual orientation.

This is an issue of fundamental fairness -- and our military ought to treat everyone fairly. "Don't ask, don't tell" did not become wrong. It was always wrong. Instead of fumbling when people question the morality of the 12,000 gays and lesbians who have unjustly lost military careers, we must repeal "don't ask, don't tell."

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Sen. Hillary Clinton

I strongly believe that anyone who has the courage, strength, and valor to serve our country should be able to do so. We are at war and our top generals are warning that America's military is stretched to the breaking point, yet we have a policy that dismisses good people from our ranks. Even service members with critical skills such as Arabic language skills are being discharged because they are gay. Senior retired military officials who can speak freely say this law does not serve our national security interests. These same military leaders are confident that repealing "don't ask, don't tell" won't lessen standards of behavior or lower morale.

As president, I will work with high-profile military leaders, such as former Joint Chiefs chairman John M. Shalikashvili and retired lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to achieve the rank of three-star general in the Army, who have called for repeal of the law. I will stand with soldiers like retired Marine staff sergeant Eric Alva, the first American soldier to be seriously wounded in Iraq, and retired Army sergeant Jose Zuniga, former Army Soldier of the Year, who are shining examples of why this law no longer makes sense.

Over the last seven years in the Senate, and as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I have built relationships with members of Congress and senior military officials through my work on the Armed Services Committee. When I am president, I will bring this strength and experience to bear to end this outdated and outmoded policy. (The Advocate)