Jarrod Chlapowski of the Human Rights Campaign speaks next to Rep. Susan Davis at a press conference to discuss repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" (Bree Tracey/MNS)
WASHINGTON –In sneakers, shorts, and a forest green T-shirt with the phrase, “Voices of Honor,” Walker Burtschell is not wearing the typical garb you see on Capitol Hill.
A marine veteran discharged under “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” sweat trickles down Burtschell’s face as he enters the Cannon House Office Building Wednesday after a 200-mile walk from Norfolk, Va. he started last Thursday to protest the Clinton-era policy. Military veterans also delivered 20,000 postcards signed by supporters across the country as a part of the National Campaign to Repeal “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
“I am here today for one reason, and that is to give a voice to those people right now that serve in silence,” Burtschell said.
Postcards signed by people asking Congress to repeal "Don't ask, don't tell" (Bree Tracey/MNS)
Created in 1993, “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) bans openly gay or bisexual people from joining the U.S. military and expels those who are already serving. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 13,500 soldiers have been discharged under DADT.
Burtschell’s arrival falls on the eve of a vote in Congress that could possibly repeal the current DADT policy. Veterans at the press conference said there are two critical votes needed in Congress for repeal – one from newly elected Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and another from Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va..
“Sen. Webb looked me in the eyes as I told my story, yet he still continues to support this archaic law,” said Mike Almy, a major in the Air Force who was discharged under DADT.
Almy served as an officer in the Air Force for 13 years and was deployed in the Middle East four times. He said the Air Force read through his personal emails in Iraq.
“This is the reality of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” today. I never told, the Air Force asked and I was thrown out,” said Almy. “You either have to serve honestly and openly and get thrown out or you have to lie everyday and sacrifice your integrity.”
Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., who is the chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, spoke to show her support for the veterans presenting the postcards.
“We are on the verge of another historic vote in Congress,” she said. “These veterans have come here today to deliver the message that now is the time.”
Rep. Davis mentioned the Pentagon is undertaking a comprehensive review and said that even if the DADT is repealed Thursday, it would take a year until it went into effect.
“This is end game,” said Jarrod Chlapowski, a military advisor with the Humans Rights Campaign. “With the key votes needed there is still an opportunity to represent change.”
Chlapowski is a former Army specialist who opted not to reenlist after 5 years of service because of DADT. He helped recruit veterans for the postcard project as a way to “work with the Pentagon instead of against the Pentagon,” he said.
According to a 2010 Washington Post poll, 75 percent of Americans believe lesbian and gay citizens should be able to serve openly in the U.S. military.
“We know that the American people are in favor of repeal,” said Rep. Davis. “Our military leaders are in favor of repeal and the question is whether Congress is ready.”
Eric Alva, who was the first American injured in Iraqi Freedom, is another veteran frustrated with Congress because of DADT. After losing his right leg to a landmine three hours into the Iraq War, he said there are many other gay or bisexual men and women in the military who would be willing to make the same sacrifice.
“Any one of us would have given our life and would still give our life for this country,” Alva said. “To finally stand up for what we mean when we say for liberty and justice for all.”