The Call To Duty Tour is a platform for renewed debate on the merits of the “Don’t Ask, Don't Tell” policy. It will feature the largely unheard voices of young service members who embody the reality of “Don’t Ask, Don't Tell” in today’s armed forces and highlight the policy’s impact on the nation's security.

Alexander Nicholson Founder and Director nicholson@calltodutytour.org

RADM Alan Steinman Lead Advisor steinman@calltodutytour.org

Jarrod Chlapowski Assistant Director chlapowski@calltodutytour.org

The Call to Duty Tour was conceived as a way to expose mainstream Americans to a representative sample of the ordinary gay service members who are largely forgotten amid the politics surrounding the DADT law. These patriotic men and women would rather be serving their country as soldiers, sailors, coastguardsmen, airmen and marines than focusing on activism. However, the veterans on the Call To Duty Tour, both gay and straight, feel that gay men and women are too often misrepresented in the media and in society at large. Most importantly, their experiences while serving in today’s military largely contradict the presumptions underlying the DADT policy - presumptions which are now nearly 15 years old. While many have tried to quietly serve their country with pride and dignity, they have nevertheless experienced first hand the manner in which DADT prevents them from doing so and needlessly denies critical talent to our nation’s military. Their voices need to be heard. Their stories need to be told. It is their real-world experiences that matter most in the debate about the merits of DADT.

The past year has seen monumental strides on all fronts in the movement to lift the ban on gays serving openly in the military. Log Cabin Republicans and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network have initiated two historic legal challenges in federal court to attack the constitutionality of the DADT policy. Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA) and over 100 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a bill, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, to repeal the law that mandates the ban. The military’s mounting recruiting and retention problems have risen to national attention, and new data have shown that the American public now favors lifting the ban. The Call To Duty Tour will serve to help introduce conservative and neutral audiences to the arguments and issues involved in the debate, and to continue the current wave of momentum toward lifting the ban.