In a ruling that may signal the beginning of the end for the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy on gays in the military, A California appeals court reinstate the case of Air Force Major Margaret Witt. Witt served as a military nurse and was honored for her service in Oman by President Bush. After being discharged with only two years left until retirement, Witt sued. The court ruled that rather than apply on the rationale that gays in the military disrupt morale and interfere with unit cohesion, there must also be evidence, for each individual case, that dismissal of the person serves an important government interest.
Currently, there are thousands of gays and lesbians in our nations military, many of them in harms way in Iraq or Afghanistan, some for the second or third tour of duty. These men and women are loyal US citizens, willing to give the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Many of them serve openly within their units with no backlash from their fellow soldiers. It's time for our country to end this policy. We need these dedicated people just as we need all military personnel.
There are those in our country who will say, there goes that court in California again. I, for one, say thank you. It's about time reason and logic stood up and said Enough!
For more information on Major Witt's case, go to the stories on MSNBC or The New York Times.
