Lucas,
Today is Veterans Day, when we remember all those who have served our
country. My fellow veterans are an incredible bunch but I want to single
out one group in particular: gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender veterans.
They sacrificed so much to serve our country and deserve to finally receive
the honors that were denied to them.
Anyone who doubts the devotion of our Armed Forces needs look no further
than these veterans, who continued to serve their country with honor and
distinction even as it pushed them into the closet.
Many LGBT veterans were forced out of the military under Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell. Some were handed an “other than honorable”
discharge status that followed them as a kind of scarlet letter, hindering
their employment and obstructing them from claiming rightfully earned benefits.
In today's
Daily News, I told the story of how my office worked with the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual
Veterans of Greater New York to safeguard their archive
, decades’ worth of records chronicling the struggles and triumphs
of LGBT service members and veterans in their fight for equality. Most
of these veterans served during the wars in Vietnam, Korea and World War
II and after they returned home, they joined together to fight for recognition,
justice and acceptance.
We've made tremendous progress but it's time to set the record
straight and restore the honor that was denied to many of those veterans.
We cannot give these veterans back their lost years of service, but we
can acknowledge their rightful place among those who have also served
our country with patriotism and great honor.
I ask Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to review and overturn the discharges
of LGBT veterans who were kicked out under Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell. Will you sign our petition to honor all our veterans?
Thank you,
Charles B. Rangel
Member of Congress