Amos under fire for DADT comments - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Amos under fire for DADT comments

The Marine Corps’ top officer is under fire following remarks he made to reporters this week concerning the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Although Gen. Jim Amos has received some support for opposing efforts to repeal the policy that prevents homosexuals from serving openly in the military, he has faced a barrage of criticism from media commentators and gay rights activists, with some even calling for his removal.

Amos told reporters Tuesday that repealing “don’t ask” could become a dangerous “distraction” for troops deployed to Afghanistan.

“Mistakes and inattention or distractions cost Marines lives,” Amos said. “That’s the currency of this fight. I take that very, very seriously. I don’t want to lose any Marines to the distraction. I don’t want to have any Marines that I’m visiting at Bethesda [National Naval Medical Center, in Maryland] with no legs be the result of any type of distraction.”

Those comments quickly spread, with many taking the commandant to task.

“General Amos’ statement on the impact of openly gay service embraces stereotypes over the evidence, plain and simple. General Amos arrived at his conclusions by interpreting the Pentagon Working Group’s report through the lens of personal bias,” Aaron Belkin, director of pro-gay rights think-tank The Palm Center, said in a media release.

The report Belkin referenced was released by the Defense Department on Nov. 30. It concludes that, overall, about 70 percent of troops said repealing “don’t ask” would be no big deal. But in the Corps, many Marines remain apprehensive about possible repeal.

About 43 percent of Marines said that having an openly gay service member in their unit would negatively affect cohesiveness. That number rose to 58 percent among Marines serving in combat arms specialties. About 67 percent of Marines surveyed in combat arms fields said repeal would negatively affect the mission.

But commentators in the blogosphere aren’t letting up.

Americablog.com has gone so far as to start a petition to President Obama, asking Amos to apologize or resign.

“It is offensive, outrageous and false for General James Amos … to claim that don't ask, don't tell repeal would lead to soldiers dying and losing their limbs. General Amos needs to either apologize or resign immediately,” the blog states.

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has come to Amos’ defense, telling reporters Wednesday that he applauds Amos for having the “courage to speak up.”

“If I were a Marine out there on the front, I would sure feel good about my commander, no matter how I felt on the issue, because he is looking out for them,” McKeon said.

“The easy thing to do would be to say ‘We are Marines, we will do it,’” McKeon said.

Amos’ comments are at odds with the wishes of the Obama administration, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Still, the president’s press secretary didn’t seem overly concerned Tuesday when asked whether Obama is upset the commandant is “continually challenging the assumptions of the commander-in-chief.”

“If you look at the commander-in-chief, the head of the Pentagon, and … the chair of the Joint Chiefs, you’ll find unanimity in the belief that it’s time to do away with this policy, and that’s exactly what the president is working to do,” Robert Gibbs told reporters.

On Wednesday, the House initiated a standalone vote on “don’t ask,” which could be the last chance for now to repeal it. The House is expected to pass the bill. That would throw the issue back to the Senate, where Democratic leaders pledging a vote are running out of time before adjourning this session of Congress.

McKeon plans to hold hearings next year about lifting the gay ban, and wants to include rank-and-file service members along with military leaders.

“I would really like to hear from battlefield commanders,” McKeon said. “I would like to hear from battalion commanders, I would like to hear from company commanders on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq to see what their feelings are.”