Secretary Mattis,
When Donald Trump announced you as his nominee to lead the Department of Defense, many in our community of veterans believed you to be an outstanding selection. Your care for troops and dedication to the mission are well known, and many believed you would be a steady hand and reasonable voice for an uncertain time and an inexperienced Commander-in-Chief.
As we learned in service and as you no doubt taught your subordinates, leaders are defined by their actions when facing adversity, not by what they do when leadership is unchallenging. This week, the President has presented you with such an opportunity by declaring, on the anniversary of Harry Truman’s order to desegregate the armed forces, that our transgender comrades are no longer welcome to serve their country in uniform. As you and we are well aware, discrimination against any person regarding anything other than their combat effectiveness is incompatible with military service.
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As you know, the history of transgender people serving in the American force is complicated. While transgender Americans serve openly today and have served discreetly in our force since 1776, it was not until last year that the Department of Defense allowed our transgender brothers and sisters to serve openly. Just this month, the Pentagon announced a delay in allowing openly trans recruits to enlist. In your approval of that delay you noted that there is one standard you use to evaluate policy decisions: “the readiness and lethality of our armed forces.”
As American military veterans, we write to you today to emphatically state that Donald Trump’s “trans ban” unquestionably fails your standard. This policy will harm readiness and unit cohesion by removing troops from service who are integral, critical, and necessary members of their teams. It will prevent the Department of Defense from recruiting patriotic and qualified Americans with vital skills simply because of an identity that has no impact on their combat effectiveness. And perhaps most importantly, this reckless and bigoted trans ban forces service members to choose between living a lie to serve the country that they and we love, or maintaining the personal integrity that we all know to be a core value of military service.
We believe you to be an honorable leader with the best interests of our force at heart. That honor cannot abide silence regarding a policy that is shortsighted, discriminates against brave service members already in uniform and Americans who aspire to serve, and harms the readiness and lethality of our force. As American veterans, some of whom have served under your command, we implore you to publicly reject the President’s harmful statements and advise him to reverse this discriminatory decision. We know this is difficult for a leader in your position. But as you know well, great leaders cannot be timid in the face of adversity.
Very respectfully,
Bridget D Altenburg
United States Army Veteran
Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina
John Anderson
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Eric Baker
United States Army Veteran
Bill Barton
United States Air Force Veteran
Sarah Behan
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Jason Bensley
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Joseph A. Bello
United States Navy Veteran
Stephen Benson
United States Navy Veteran
Vietnam War
Keith Boyea
United States Air Force Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Tony Camerino
United States Air Force Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Robert Caruso
United States Navy Veteran
David Chasteen
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Dario DiBattista
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Jason Davis
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Stephanie Driessel
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
LeighAnn Dunn
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
David Ramiro Duran
United States Army Veteran
Robin Eckstein
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Brian Esquibel
United States Navy Veteran
Operation Restore Hope
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Sonia Fernandez
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Brian Ferreira
United States Army Veteran
Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Chance Forte
United States Army Veteran
Operation Enduring Freedom
Phoebe Gavin
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Edgar G. Gibbs
United States Army Veteran
Lynne N. Gore
United States Air Force Veteran
Khristina Hall
United States Navy Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Rick Hegdahl
United States Navy Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Georgia Rep. Scott Holcomb
Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Chris Holman
United States Army Veteran
Andrew Horne
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Jennifer Hunt
United States Army Veteran
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Keith Jeffreys
United States Army Veteran
Tara Jones
United States Navy Veteran
Gulf War Era
Nathan D. Joy
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Michelle Kendall
United States Army Veteran
Operation Joint Endeavor
Jason Macon
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Cyril Malika
United States Army Veteran
Operation Enduring Freedom
Lamar Mapp
United States Army Veteran
Operation Enduring Freedom
Alexander McCoy
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Brian McGough
United States Army Veteran
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Rafael Noboa Y Rivera
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Perry O'Brien
United States Army Veteran
Operation Enduring Freedom
Matt Osborne
United States Army Veteran
Kade Patterson
United States Army Veteran
Jonas Rides At The Door
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Jackie Rodgers
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Katherine Scheirman, M.D.
United States Air Force Veteran
Terron Sims II
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Richard Allen Smith
United States Army Veteran
Operation Enduring Freedom
Shannon Smyth
United States Air Force Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Joseph Richard Stutler Jr.
United States Army Veteran
Operation Desert Storm
Ryan Sullivan
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Mike Stark
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Armondo Telles
United States Marine Corps Veteran
Stephanie Torgerson
United States Air Force Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Charles Tyler
United States Army Veteran
Operation Desert Shield
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Colm Walker
United States Army Veteran
Operation Enduring Freedom
Mark White
United States Air Force Veteran
Eli Williamson
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Bobby Wise
United States Army Veteran
Operation Iraqi Freedom
