[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 170 (Sunday, December 19, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S10737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL REPEAL ACT

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I was regrettably absent for the vote on 
the cloture motion to H.R. 2965, The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act 
as my wife and I had a long standing family commitment to attend my 
grandson's graduation. If I had been present, I would have voted 
against cloture.
  I have long stated that our troops should not be held hostage to 
controversial social policy changes at a time when our Nation is at 
war. Several top military leaders have concluded that changing military 
policy could jeopardize our soldiers fighting for our Nation. That is 
something I cannot support.
  These concerns were only reaffirmed a few days ago when the 
Commandant of the Marine Corps, GEN James Amos was quoted as saying, 
``I take that very, very seriously . . . I don't want to lose any 
marines to the distraction [of implementing the repeal of Don't Ask, 
Don't Tell] . . . I don't want any marines that I'm visiting at 
Bethesda [National Naval Medical Center military hospital in Maryland] 
with no legs be the result of any type of distraction.''
  This opinion was echoed by Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz, 
who stated in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee that 
he opposed implementing any reform until 2012 because he did ``not 
agree with the study assessment that the short-term risk to military 
effectiveness is low.''
  Moreover, the recent report also showed that the percentage of those 
servicemembers in combat arms units which predicted a negative or very 
negative effects on their unit's ability to ``work together to get the 
job done'' stood at an alarming 48 percent within Army combat arms 
units, and 58 percent within Marine combat arms units.
  Our military leaders and front-line forces have spoken. They do not 
believe repealing don't ask, don't tell is appropriate at this crucial 
time in our Nation's history and neither do I.

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