It is my position that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of honesty and integrity, particularly in the context of allowing LGBTQ+ individuals to serve openly in the military.
Michael Mullen expresses a strong moral stance against a policy that compels individuals to hide their sexual orientation while serving in the military. He believes that forcing young men and women to conceal their true selves for the sake of service is inherently troubling and contrary to principles of honesty and respect for their identities, thereby advocating for the right for LGBTQ+ individuals to serve authentically.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in the military.
Some 70% to 80% of all who join the military will return to the civilian workforce. They'll return to communities, and one of the things I've worried about is the increasing disconnect between the American people and our men and women in uniform. We come from fewer and fewer places. We're less than 1% of the population.
Do not be afraid of defeat. You are never so near victory as when you are defeated in a good cause.
One of the speakers asked how many women had been harassed or abused sexually in their life? There were thousands of women in the audience, and almost every one of them raised her hand.
Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth were slaves by birth, freedom fighters by temperament.
If there is one thing upon this earth that mankind love and admire better than another, it is a brave man, - it is the man who dares to look the devil in the face and tell him he is a devil.
You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.
Now I have shed my first blood. I feel no qualms, no pride, no remorse. There is only a weary indifference that will follow me throughout the war.
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