Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, December 10, 2008

IN OUR VIEW

Let our willing citizens serve our country first

 The Pentagon must be trying its hand at parody with last week's news, as reported by the Associated Press: Struggling to find enough doctors, nurse and linguists for the war effort, the Pentagon will temporarily recruit foreigners who have been living in the United States on student and works visas, or with refugee or political asylum status.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has authorized the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps to recruit certain legal residents whose critical medical and language skill are "vital to the national interest," AP reported. The services can now start a one-year pilot program to find up to 1,000 foreigners who have lived in the U.S. legally for at least two years.

This "solution" is so maddening. Why? Don't ask, don't tell. The counter-productive and embarrassing law continues to hurt our military efforts as it discriminates against those who would honorably serve our country.

According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, since the law's 1994 implementation, more than 12,500 women and men have been discharged. According to a 2005 Government Accountability Office report, nearly 800 of those discharged were "mission-critical" specialists -- including pilots, intelligence analysts, medics and linguists. A Blue Ribbon Commission Report found that the taxpayer cost to replace and train service members discharged from fiscal years 1994 through 2003 exceeded $363.8 million.

So the recruit-the-foreigners program hopes to find 1,000 eligible recruits "vital to the national interest," while the skills and patriotism of 800 American "mission-critical" specialists will go untapped because of our national anti-gay military policy. Not to mention all the service members filling other military roles.

Because the shortage of military recruits is real, repealing the law is critical. According to a 2007 Williams Institute report, "don't ask, don't tell," has discouraged nearly 45,000 Americans from joining and remaining in the armed forces.

Meanwhile, as the Pentagon launched its foreigner-recruitment plan, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week kept alive a challenge to the law by Maj. Margaret Witt, a highly decorated former Air Force flight nurse who was based at McChord Air Force Base.

An anonymous tipster told the military that Witt had been involved with a civilian woman, which led to her honorable discharge in 2007, two years short of what she needed to receive retirement benefits. Witt's sterling and inspirational record of service is just one story out of 12,500.

By reversing the "don't ask, don't tell" travesty, Congress and President-elect Obama have the opportunity to boost our military ranks with highly qualified American citizens, and to honor all those who served, but were kicked out.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA