Basin Reacts To "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Vote
By: Dylan Brooks
Updated: December 20, 2010
MIDLAND -- Across the county, people are reacting differently to the congressional decision over the weekend to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
Some worry this decision could have a negative impact on troops still serving overseas, and here at home, affecting their morale. Meanwhile, others say that the important thing to focus on is the quality of the troops' work -- not their sexual orientation.
"I've always judged them on the merits of how they did their job," VFW Post 7208 Commander James Silvers told Big 2. "And the fact that they were there to cover my back when I needed it in combat, and I never worried about that other part. And I think, personally, it never should have been brought up in the first place. The Federal Government should have stayed out of it and not started Don't Ask Don't tell or anything in the first place."
It will still be several months before the change actually takes place. The Pentagon will spend the next several weeks rewriting policies before it can be certified. It will be another 60 days after that until the policy is officially enacted.
Some worry this decision could have a negative impact on troops still serving overseas, and here at home, affecting their morale. Meanwhile, others say that the important thing to focus on is the quality of the troops' work -- not their sexual orientation.
"I've always judged them on the merits of how they did their job," VFW Post 7208 Commander James Silvers told Big 2. "And the fact that they were there to cover my back when I needed it in combat, and I never worried about that other part. And I think, personally, it never should have been brought up in the first place. The Federal Government should have stayed out of it and not started Don't Ask Don't tell or anything in the first place."
It will still be several months before the change actually takes place. The Pentagon will spend the next several weeks rewriting policies before it can be certified. It will be another 60 days after that until the policy is officially enacted.
