[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13944]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    THE END OF DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL

  (Ms. TSONGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday marked the end of the military's 
Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. For 18 years, it forced thousands of 
servicemen and -women from our Armed Forces and discouraged countless 
other patriotic Americans from enlisting. The policy weakened our 
military by removing highly skilled, trained, and capable 
servicemembers from the ranks at a time when we were sending our men 
and women in uniform on multiple deployments to fight two wars.
  Today, our country is stronger because we all benefit from a military 
that takes advantage of all the talents our Nation has to offer.
  This policy ended because of the work of many, including my 
predecessor, Congressman Marty Meehan, who introduced the first bill in 
the House of Representatives to repeal this policy.
  Our servicemen and -women are, first and foremost, Americans 
protecting freedom throughout the world. Today, at last, all these 
brave people no longer have to hide who they are in order to serve 
their country.

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