Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a Cuban-American Republican representing South Florida. She has signed on as a co-sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA). She stated:
We’ve tried the policy. I don’t think it works. And we’ve spent a lot of money enforcing it. We investigate people. We bring them up on charges - basically wreck their lives. These are people who’ve signed up to serve our country. We should be thanking them.
Wayne Gilchrest served in the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. And signed on as a co-sponsor of MREA. He had this to say about Don’t ask, Don’t tell:
Not only does it take money away from purchasing armor for Humvees, there’s a lot of very skilled people that are being taken out of the military who are hard to replace.
Christopher Shays represents Connecticut in the Congress and is a co-sponsor of MREA. When he signed on to the bill, here’s what he said:
I look at Arlington Cemetery and wonder how many men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country were gay. We will never know and the point is, it doesn’t matter. They made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and their service is as appreciated and valuable as that of the military personnel that were heterosexual. It’s time to repeal Don’t ask, Don’t tell, both for principle and practicality. It unfairly discriminates and it strains our already-stressed Armed Forces.
