From: James Yorton Subject: ACTION ALERT: Military Witch Hunt Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1996 19:14:31 -0500 (CDT) [ submitted by SLDN1@aol.com ] SLDN ACTION ALERT ***URGENT: YOUR HELP NEEDED*** Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the only national organization dedicated to assisting military personnel hurt by the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue" policy asks for your IMMEDIATE help in stopping a witch hunt in Hawaii. SLDN is currently assisting servicemembers caught up in a witch hunt of suspected gay military personnel in Honolulu, Hawaii. The investigation began when one Air Force member was criminally convicted and told that he would receive a reduced sentence if he produced a list of male servicemembers and accused them of consensual gay sex. At least seventeen servicemembers across all service branches have been targeted. Military prosecutors at Hickam Air Force Base, in particular, continue to question servicemembers about their own sexual orientation and that of others, in violation of the current "don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue" policy. Because of the on-going purge of suspected gay servicemembers, one servicemember has already been separated, two are awaiting discharge and at least one other servicemember faces the very real threat of court-martial and jail-time if convicted. The witch hunt continues despite months of working within the system to end it. The Department of Defense, the Air Force and Hickam Air Force Base have failed to respond to numerous inquiries made over the last several months on behalf of the accused servicemembers by SLDN and the members’ Congressional representatives. It is clear that the only avenue left to these servicemembers is a massive public response on their behalf and they ask for your help now. CALLS ARE UGENTLY NEEDED, in order of priority, to The Honorable William Perry, the Secretary of Defense, voice: (703) 695-5261; fax: (703) 695-1219; mail: 1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1000. General John G. Lorber, the Commander of the Pacific Air Forces, voice: (808) 449-1711; fax: (808) 449-9520; mail: HQ PACF/cc 25 E Street, Suite G-214, Hickam AFB, HI 96853-5420 The Honorable Sheila Widnall, the Secretary of the Air Force, voice: (703) 694-7376; fax: 703/693-7553; mail: Air Force Pentagon, Room 4E871, Washington, DC 20330 The four things callers should say are 1) that a witch hunt is being conducted at Hickam Air Force Base against servicemembers suspected of being gay, 2) that the caller understands that the office they are calling is aware of the witch hunt and has done nothing to stop it, 3) that they are outraged that people’s lives and careers are being ruined because of violations of the "don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue" policy and the civilian and military leadership is allowing it to happen, and finally, 4) that something must be done to immediately stop the witch hunt and protect those unjustly pursued. It is essential that these calls go out immediately. Please pass this action alert on to others and encourage them to call those listed above. If possible, please email SLDN at sldn1@aol.com so we can keep track of how many calls are made. THANK YOU. --- _____________________________________________________________________________ * ACTION-ALERT is a moderated mailing list. * * To subscribe to ACTION-ALERT, send mail to: majordomo@vector.casti.com * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: subscribe action-alert * * To unsubscribe to ACTION-ALERT, send mail to: majordomo@vector.casti.com * * In the mail message, enter ONLY the words: unsubscribe action-alert * * Words in the Subject: line are NOT processed! * _____________________________________________________________________________