Defense Transition Provides Opportunity for Swift Repeal Certification
As a graduate of Texas A&M University, I had the unique privilege of interacting with Robert Gates before he was tapped by then-president George W. Bush to be the nation’s Secretary of Defense. A&M, the oldest institution of higher learning in Texas, has deep military roots and was a catalyst in my decision to enlist in the Marine Corps. Gates became the president of Texas A&M in 2002, after serving two years as the interim dean of A&M’s George Bush School of Government and Public Service. One of Gates’ most significant contributions to A&M was continuing to lay the foundation and making progress for “Vision 2020,” a plan to make Texas A&M a top-10 public university by the year 2020. The school is still progressing toward this goal today.
One of my favorite memories of Dr. Gates came during my freshman year when he joined my unit within the Corps of Cadets for an early morning run, in some very frigid weather. With more than 30 groups within the Corps, he would rotate and run with the various units throughout the year. When not running with the Corps, he would run alone throughout campus and always greet whomever he passed with a “Howdy!” Dr. Gates was well-liked among the student body, so while it was tough to see him move on, the Aggie Nation was proud to watch him step into the new role as Defense Secretary.
Since my graduation from A&M, I have followed Secretary Gates through my work at SLDN. I would be lying if I said I was not disappointed that he recently announced he will not be able to certify the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) before he leaves his post June 30. We have urged Gates to certify repeal for the last six months, but now it appears that it will be his successor’s responsibility to ensure that certification moves forward in a swift manner.
With only a matter of days remaining in Secretary Gates’ tenure, we thank him for his service, and we hope to see a smooth transition as Leon Panetta assumes his new post as the nation’s 23rd Secretary of Defense.
06-27-11 By Danny Hernandez, SLDN Communications/Development Assistant and former U.S. Marine Lance Corporal |
1 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.Bill on June 28, 2011 at 12.34 pm
It is a real disappointment if Sec. Gates plans to leave office without certifying that DADT can end and the final 60 day count can start (with easy completion of training during the next 60 days). I am assuming that if Sec. Gates wanted certification now, Adm. Mullen and the President would join him. Let’s hope he surprises all of us with good news in his last couple of days. Passing the buck to Panetta is not worthy of his past drive or integrity. Worse, I believe there is real risk to the end of DADT if all this delay extends to the time of congressional conference committee meetings for the 2012 Defense Authorization Act.