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Pentagon Discharges Record Number
of Service Personnel

Pentagon Discharges Record Number of Service Personnel

Pentagon Discharges Record Number of Service Personnel

Compiled By GayToday
Courtesy of SLDN

Washington D.C.--The Pentagon discharged a record 1231 service members under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" during the 2000 fiscal year, according to discharge numbers released last week by the Pentagon.

The total gay discharges are the highest number of discharges since 1987, seven years before the implementation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass."

The numbers reflect that the Pentagon is firing 3-4 people per day for being lesbian, gay or bisexual. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Executive Director C. Dixon Osburn said, "Congress should repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass' and remove this stain from our nation's history."

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Executive Director C. Dixon Osburn says 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is a Stain on our Nation's History

Total Army discharges of 573 represent a dramatic increase over the 271 men and women discharged in 1999. SLDN believes more than 200 of the Army's total discharges for the year 2000 were from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the site of the 1999 murder of PFC Barry Winchell. Winchell was killed by fellow service members because of his perceived sexual orientation.

"We believe these numbers reflect the anti-gay legacy of Fort Campbell's former commanding general, Robert Clark," said SLDN Executive Director C. Dixon Osburn. "The environment perpetuated by Major General Clark simply made it an unsafe place for service members."

SLDN has also learned that the Navy's discharge numbers increased slightly in 2000, totaling 358 compared to 314 in 1999. Eighty-one, or 24%, of the Navy's total discharges were from Charleston, South Carolina where the Navy' s Nuclear Power Training Unit and Command are stationed.

"The numbers from Charleston are alarming," said Osburn. "While we do not know the precise reason so many Navy personnel were discharged from that installation, we do know that service members come out for a reason. Those reasons most often include unchecked harassment, inadequate training and a failure of leadership."

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive:

President to Sign Military Anti-Hate Crimes Order

Murdered: Private First Class Barry Winchel

Private Calvin Glover: Guilty of Premeditated Murder

Related Sites:
Service Members Legal Defense Network

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The Air Force discharged 177 service members in 2000, down dramatically from 352 in 1999. Most significant were discharges from Lackland Air Force Base, which dropped from 221 in 1999 to 37 in 2000. Those numbers are in the wake of recommendations made by SLDN to Lackland leadership in 2000 to better train service members on the policy.

Marine Corps discharges increased slightly, from 97 in 1999 to 104 in 2000. The Coast Guard discharged 19 service members, up from 12 in 1999.