(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Murray voted for legislation to repeal the “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, which passed the full Senate on a 65-31 vote.
In a speech on the Senate floor prior to final passage, Murray urged her
colleagues to repeal this failed policy and told the story of Major Margaret
Witt, from Washington state, who was discharged under DADT. Murray also talked
about a letter she received from a young woman from Spokane who dreams of
joining the military and serving her country, but is currently unable to do so
because she is a lesbian. Earlier efforts to repeal the policy had been blocked by Senate Republicans.
Senator
Murray released the following statement after the vote:
“I
was proud to cast my vote today to finally repeal the failed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell’ policy. This policy has failed in its intended goals, done a tremendous
disservice to men and women who want nothing more than to defend their country
and the freedoms America stands for—and I am so glad that it is on the verge of
being repealed.”
Key
excerpts from Senator Murray’s speech today:
“I
come to the floor today to urge my colleagues to join me in the effort to
repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ This policy has failed in its intended goals,
it’s done a tremendous disservice to men and women who want nothing more than
to defend their country, and it’s time for it to go.”
“…repealing
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is the right thing to do. It’s the right thing for our
country. It’s the right thing for our military. It’s the right
thing for Major Witt and the thousands like her. And…it’s the right thing
for people like Rebekah, a young woman from Spokane, Washington who wrote me a
letter just a few months ago…. Rebekah told me nothing would make her happier
than to be able to graduate this spring and start her journey standing up for
our nation. She doesn’t want to feel that she should be ashamed of who she
is—and…she shouldn’t have to.”
“We
need to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ so that young women like Rebekah won’t
stop dreaming of growing up to serve our country. And so that every
man and woman in our armed forces can serve their country openly and with
pride.
“…we
have heard the stories of the lives this policy has ruined, we have heard from
top-ranking military officials that it simply doesn’t work, we have heard from
servicemembers that they too want it to change. And now it is time for us to
act.”
“For
far too long, men and women with the courage and commitment to serve our nation
have been asked to hide the truth about who they are. This is shameful, it’s
bad policy, and it needs to end. I am going to vote to repeal ‘Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell’—and I urge my colleagues to do the same.”
The
full text of Senator Murray’s speech follows:
“Mr.
President, I come to the floor today to urge my colleagues to join me in the
effort to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’
“This
policy has failed in its intended goals, it’s done a tremendous disservice to
men and women who want nothing more than to defend their country, and it’s time
for it to go.
“Mr.
President, I want to begin by talking about a true hero from my home state of
Washington named Margaret Witt.
“Margaret
joined the Air Force in 1987 and served honorably for 18 years as a flight
nurse—rising to the rank of Major.
“She
was described in reviews and by her peers as being an exemplary officer, an
effective leader, and a skilled and caring nurse.
“But
in 2004, her superiors discovered that she was a lesbian, and acting under the
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, they suspended—and ultimately discharged her.
“Margaret
lost the job she had given her life to—and our country lost a talented and
committed flight nurse. But she didn’t give up.
“She
went to court, she called witnesses, she made her case—and in September of this
year, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton ruled that she must be reinstated.
“Judge
Leighton said the government gave no compelling reason for dismissing Major
Witt—and that the application of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was not shown to
further the government’s interest in promoting military readiness.
“This
was the right decision—and it was amazing news for Major Witt.
“She
is currently working with disabled veterans in Spokane, Washington—but she says
she is really excited to get back in the air and back to helping the troops
that need her.
“Mr.
President—Major Witt is a true hero—and her commitment to our country should be
recognized and honored. But she should never have been put in this position.
“She
has the skills, the experience, and the commitment to do her job—and the fact
that she is a lesbian doesn’t change that one bit.
“Mr.
President, there are so many reasons to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’—and to
do it now.
“First
of all, this policy destroys lives.
“We
have all heard stories like Margaret’s. There are thousands just like it.
“And
for every one we hear, there are so many more who suffer silently—whose lives
and livelihoods were devastated not because of something they did, but because
of who they are.
“Men
and women who were kicked out of the military—or who are forced to lie to
everyone they work with, who
go to sleep petrified they will be found out and discharged—and who wake up
dreading another day of mandated deceit and dishonesty.
“This
is wrong—and it needs to end.
“Mr.
President—‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is also depriving our armed forces of
talented men and women at a time when we need our best on the front lines
defending America.
“We
are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—and we simply can’t afford to lose
critical assets simply because they are gay.
“And
finally, Mr. President, we also now know that repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
won’t have an adverse impact on the military.
“We’ve
heard from military leaders who support repeal.
“And
the Pentagon recently came out with a report that showed that repealing this
policy would not inhibit their ability to carry out the missions they are
charged with.
“In
fact—this report said that seventy percent of servicemembers believe that
repeal would have little to no effect on their units.
“Mr.
President—repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is the right thing to do. It’s the
right thing for our country. It’s the right thing for our military.
It’s the right thing for Major Witt and the thousands like her.
“And
Mr. President, it’s the right thing for people like Rebekah, a young woman from
Spokane, Washington who wrote me a letter just a few months ago.
“Rebekah
told me that she was a senior at Eastern Washington University—and that her
dream for years has been to join the U.S Army.
“She
wrote: ‘I believe the military is an honorable calling. One of self-sacrifice
and dedication—and I would be proud to call myself a soldier.’
“But
there was a problem. Rebekah told me that the very sense of honor that called
her to serve her country was also preventing her from acting on her dream.
“The
reason, she told me, is that she is a lesbian. And she is very proud of who she
is.
“And
as long as the official policy of the United States Army is to ask her to bury
her pride, to tell her to keep secret a large part of who she is, and to ask
her to live what would essentially be a lie—she simply won’t be able to serve
her country.
“Rebekah
told me nothing would make her happier than to be able to graduate this spring
and start her journey standing up for our nation.
“She
doesn’t want to feel that she should be ashamed of who she is—and M. President,
she shouldn’t have to.
“We
need to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ so that young women like Rebekah won’t
stop dreaming of growing up to serve our country.
“And
so that every man and woman in our armed forces can serve their country openly
and with pride.
“Mr.
President, we have heard the stories of the lives this policy has ruined, we
have heard from top-ranking military officials that it simply doesn’t work, we
have heard from servicemembers that they too want it to change.
“And
now it is time for us to act.
“For
far too long, men and women with the courage and commitment to serve our nation
have been asked to hide the truth about who they are.
“This
is shameful, it’s bad policy, and it needs to end.
“I
am going to vote to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’—and I urge my colleagues to
do the same.
“Thank
you, I yield the floor.”
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