Charles Moskos, 1934-2008
Charles Moskos, the self-described architect of the Congressional “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, passed away this weekend from prostate cancer, he was 74. A military sociologist at Northwestern University, Moskos rose to national prominence in 1993 by coining the phrase “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and attaching it to the congressional law banning openly lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from serving in the U.S. armed forces.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Charles Moskos. While we at SLDN disagreed with Moskos on the need and success of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” we shared with him a concern for the effects the law had on all of our service personnel, including lesbian and gay troops.
Since its implementation in 1993, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has resulted in the dismissal of more than 12,000 men and women from the armed forces. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), nearly 800 of those dismissed had skills deemed 'mission-critical' by the Department of Defense, including more than 300 language specialists. The cost to U.S. taxpayers for maintaining the ban is estimated at more than $363 million.
Moskos is survived by his wife Ilca and sons, Peter and Andrew.
-Victor Maldonado
06-03-08
1 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.Karl on December 31, 1969 at 02.00 pm
SLDN-<BR><BR>Thank you for this posting. I join SLDN and all Americans who care about our military and its personnel, even if we disagree about certain things, in saying farewell to Prof. Moskos. He cared, and that’s what’s important.<BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR><BR>Karl Olson
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