Should the president end 'Don't ask don't tell?'
BOISE - President Barack Obama is renewing his campaign pledge to end the military's "Don't ask don't tell" policy.
The president says anyone who is gay should be able to serve openly in the military.
After serving for nearly two decades in the Air Force, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach is being discharged because the military discovered he's gay.
"I played by the rules, I did my part. I kept my private life private," Fehrenbach told 2 News earlier this year. "Again, this wasn't voluntary. I didn't come out and challenge the law. In some ways the law challenged me."
Obama did not offer a timetable for ending the ban but some Boise residents think now is the time.
"Does it really make any difference about a person's sexual orientation?" said Dan Knoll, Boise resident. "I mean if they're going to wear a uniform and be willing to die for their country, what difference does it make to me?"
Local resident Leslie White says she understands both sides.
"I'm from a military background so I think that there is a place for don't ask don't tell," White said. "But recently we've had a lot of family discussions and actually think that maybe we've evolved enough that we don't need it."
But local Vietnam War Vet Asberry York isn't so sure.
"I think that would be bad for morale, I think that would put our troops at greater danger. You're share a fox hole with somebody that you can't trust it's not good, lives are jeopardy - in danger," he said.
The president says he knows some some are growing impatient, but he says the country has made progress and will make more in defending gay rights.
-------
Do you think the President should end "Don't ask don't tell? Sign up to comment below and let us know what you think.
The president says anyone who is gay should be able to serve openly in the military.
After serving for nearly two decades in the Air Force, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach is being discharged because the military discovered he's gay.
"I played by the rules, I did my part. I kept my private life private," Fehrenbach told 2 News earlier this year. "Again, this wasn't voluntary. I didn't come out and challenge the law. In some ways the law challenged me."
Obama did not offer a timetable for ending the ban but some Boise residents think now is the time.
"Does it really make any difference about a person's sexual orientation?" said Dan Knoll, Boise resident. "I mean if they're going to wear a uniform and be willing to die for their country, what difference does it make to me?"
Local resident Leslie White says she understands both sides.
"I'm from a military background so I think that there is a place for don't ask don't tell," White said. "But recently we've had a lot of family discussions and actually think that maybe we've evolved enough that we don't need it."
But local Vietnam War Vet Asberry York isn't so sure.
"I think that would be bad for morale, I think that would put our troops at greater danger. You're share a fox hole with somebody that you can't trust it's not good, lives are jeopardy - in danger," he said.
The president says he knows some some are growing impatient, but he says the country has made progress and will make more in defending gay rights.
-------
Do you think the President should end "Don't ask don't tell? Sign up to comment below and let us know what you think.
More to Explore
Learn about changes coming to commenting