MEDIA RELEASE

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), a member of the Armed Services Committee, has issued the following statement:

“The Pentagon report shows that a large majority of our troops support the repeal of this policy, and that our military can implement this change while maintaining a high level of readiness needed to defend our nation.

“This repeal will bring us another step towards equality in the United States. I look forward to working on the Armed Services Committee to ensure that our military is strengthened by this change.”

In a Senate Armed Services Committee markup dated May 27, Akaka voted to repeal the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy pending completion of the Pentagon survey and certification by the President and Pentagon leadership.

Akaka is a veteran of World War II.

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Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, a retired Army Captain and Medal of Honor recipient, released the following statement in support of the Pentagon study calling for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

“I believe the time has come to allow gay men and women to serve openly in the military. Military and civilian leaders almost unanimously support the repeal of ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell.’ The Pentagon study released yesterday summarizes the abundance of reasons to repeal this law. In every war we have had men and women of different sexual orientation who have stood in harm’s way and given their lives for their country. I fought alongside gay men during World War II, many of them were killed in combat. Are we to suggest that because of their sexual orientation they are not heroes?”