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29 December 2010 www.thewestwordonline.com Continued from page 27 TW: Here are two policy-related questions. How do you feel [first of all] about the DREAM Act and second of all the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy? GO: Well, I’m not going to com- ment directly on [the DREAM Act]. What I am going to comment on is that we already have a program [for noncitizen residents who have papers or a green card]. For four straight years when I was in Iraq, on July 4 I had the opportunity to swear in, probably about 250 each year, new citizens of the United States who were already serving, who were from many different countries. So we had a program where you could join the military, and if you served for a certain peri- od of time, it would fast track your ability to become a citizen. [Being involved in this ceremony was] one of the most emotional things I’ve ever done in my life, watching these young men and women who came from a variety of backgrounds, who worked and already went to war for a country they were not yet a citizen for. And then on “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The issue becomes implemen- tation. The Secretary of Defense is doing a study on implementation of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the impact on readiness [which has since been published by the De- partment of Defense on November 30]. What I’m interested in as a commander is the readiness of the force, how we can continue to per- form. So we are waiting to see the results of that and how we can best implement it in order to continue and sustain our readiness, because we are in the middle of two wars right now...Once those recommen- dations come out, I believe we will be better able to answer whether we are able to move away from “don’t ask, don’t tell” or not. TW: How has the military changed over the years that you served in it? GO: When I came in, we were coming off the draft, Vietnam, and the military had lots of discipline problems. This was in the mid to late ’70s, and we had lots of issues we had to deal with. We had lots of discipline issues, we had people who didn’t want to be serving, and then we went to the all-volunteer army, which made a significant difference. But also we became more focused on building an army that would be able to respond worldwide, and that happened over the ’80s. It really had a sig- nificant change in the morale, and the army changed completely. The way we did leadership and training changed. The second [change] would be the integration of women into the military. When I first came in, wom- en were in the military but they were just beginning to integrate them; they were very limited in what they could do. We’ve seen that progress over time where they’re now able to do more and more things. They’ve proven themselves in combat. In fact, to be honest with you, people don’t even think about women be- ing in the army anymore, it’s a very natural thing. We have our first female four-star general who was promoted last year. They’ve made great strides. The last thing I would say is that I am proud [that in the military] we represent all races, all ethnic groups, and although it’s not per- fect [and] we still have some prob- lems, I believe we are so far ahead of society on giving opportunities to young men and women. No mat- ter what your background is, no matter what your culture is, you are given the opportunity, and you are able to succeed [based] on how you perform. I’m very proud of that. Again, it’s not perfect; we still have some things that we have to work on, but I believe it’s as good as it is anywhere else in the world. TW: If there was one final mes- sage you could deliver to the stu- dents, parents, and community members who will be reading this interview, what would it be? GO: To the students, find some- thing that you are passionate about and follow that passion...To all the families and other people, just as we are sitting here around the holi- days, take a little bit of time out of your schedule to remember those who aren’t with their families and who are sacrificing for them, pro- viding them security around the world, and just remember those who gave their lives for their coun- try as well. That’s what I would ask. General Odierno shares advice, discusses military experiences “To the students, find something that you are passionate about and follow that passion...To all the families and other people... remember those who aren’t with their fami- lies [this holiday season]...That’s what I would ask.” ADVERTISEMENTS To read the full interview with General Odierno, visit www. thewestwordonline.com.
