Posted on 08/01/2017 10:39:42 AM PDT by jazusamo
Coast Guard officials reached out personally to their transgender service members to express support after President Trump’s announcement of a new policy barring transgender people in the military, according to Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft.
“The first thing we did is we reached out to all 13 members of the Coast Guard who have come out” as transgender, Zukunft told attendees at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event in Washington.
Zukunft said he contacted Lt. Taylor Miller, the Coast Guard’s first openly transitioning officer who was featured in a Washington Post article last week.
“If you read that story, Taylor’s family has disowned her. ... And I told Taylor, I will not turn my back. We have made an investment in you and you have made an investment in the Coast Guard and I will not break faith,” Zukunft said.
“And so that was the commitment to our people right now. Very small numbers, but all of them are doing meaningful Coast Guard work today.”
The Coast Guard operates under the Department of Homeland Security but is a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and would fall under the transgender ban.
Zukunft added that he then reached out to now former Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly — who became White House chief of staff on Monday — who in turned reached out to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
“We’ve stood up a tiger team of our [Judge Advocate General’s Corps] officers,” Zukunft said, referring to the legal branch of the Coast Guard.
Trump last week declared on Twitter that the military would “not accept or allow” transgender people to serve “in any capacity.” The president said in the tweet that he had made the decision after consultation with “my Generals and military experts.”
But the announcement blindsided Mattis , Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford and service leaders.
Dunford has since said the current transgender policy will remain unchanged until the White House sends an official directive to the Pentagon. Such a directive has yet to be sent.
The Pentagon moved last year to lift the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.
Following that June 2016 announcement, Zukunft released a statement supporting the decision along with then-Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
“The U.S. Coast Guard has been involved in the Department of Defense's extensive review of this issue, and will align its policies with the other military services,” they wrote. “All qualified people who wish to serve in our Nation's military should have the opportunity to do so. Today's announcement is another important step in that direction.”
Doesn't get much more irrelevant than that.
“All 13 members”
wow
Adm. Paul Zukunft became Commandant of the Coast Guard in 2014.
“All 13 members”
wow
In the old days this would be called a mutiny.....................
Fire him now!
No policy change on Trannies yet, just a tweet.
Right now its still cheer/boo stuff for the two sides.
Taxpayers still paying for Trannie hormones etc
I thought the president was the commander in chief.
I guess I was wrong...
Failure to follow to direct order...in wartime.
Wonder how this is going to end?
This guy begging to be fired if not worse.
“Fire him now!”
Absolutely.
The issue that is being overlooked is who is paying for the sex change operation, drugs, and often psychological counseling to make the transition. It isn’t cheap.
We are on the precipice of war in the Korean Peninsula and we have to worry about 13 freaks and the issue of Transgender?
Probably an Obungler supporter. I wonder if he will keep his retirement pay?
This might be Trump’s plan.
It gets rid of all of Obama’s stooges working in key locations.
Yeah. Immediately.
Chill people! Trump tweeted the current policy will change. It does not do so at the drop of a hat. In his statement it was even noted that the new policy will be drafted and then submitted for implementation.
The only butt-hurt people in the bureaucracy are those who butts are hurting already from this and the other obvious reasons. They are just getting their digs in with the media before the new policy is officially drafted and implemented.
Admiral Zukunft, you just “broke faith” with your Commander in Chief.
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