Secretary Mattis,

When Donald Trump announced you as his nominee to lead the Department of Defense, many in our community of veterans believed you to be an outstanding selection. Your care for troops and dedication to the mission are well known, and many believed you would be a steady hand and reasonable voice for an uncertain time and an inexperienced Commander-in-Chief.

As we learned in service and as you no doubt taught your subordinates, leaders are defined by their actions when facing adversity, not by what they do when leadership is unchallenging. This week, the President has presented you with such an opportunity by declaring, on the anniversary of Harry Truman’s order to desegregate the armed forces, that our transgender comrades are no longer welcome to serve their country in uniform. As you and we are well aware, discrimination against any person regarding anything other than their combat effectiveness is incompatible with military service.

As you know, the history of transgender people serving in the American force is complicated. While transgender Americans serve openly today and have served discreetly in our force since 1776, it was not until last year that the Department of Defense allowed our transgender brothers and sisters to serve openly. Just this month, the Pentagon announced a delay in allowing openly trans recruits to enlist. In your approval of that delay you noted that there is one standard you use to evaluate policy decisions: “the readiness and lethality of our armed forces.”

As American military veterans, we write to you today to emphatically state that Donald Trump’s “trans ban” unquestionably fails your standard. This policy will harm readiness and unit cohesion by removing troops from service who are integral, critical, and necessary members of their teams. It will prevent the Department of Defense from recruiting patriotic and qualified Americans with vital skills simply because of an identity that has no impact on their combat effectiveness. And perhaps most importantly, this reckless and bigoted trans ban forces service members to choose between living a lie to serve the country that they and we love, or maintaining the personal integrity that we all know to be a core value of military service.

We believe you to be an honorable leader with the best interests of our force at heart. That honor cannot abide silence regarding a policy that is shortsighted, discriminates against brave service members already in uniform and Americans who aspire to serve, and harms the readiness and lethality of our force. As American veterans, some of whom have served under your command, we implore you to publicly reject the President’s harmful statements and advise him to reverse this discriminatory decision. We know this is difficult for a leader in your position. But as you know well, great leaders cannot be timid in the face of adversity.

Very respectfully,

Bridget D Altenburg

United States Army Veteran

Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina

John Anderson

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Eric Baker

United States Army Veteran

Bill Barton

United States Air Force Veteran

Sarah Behan

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Jason Bensley

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Joseph A. Bello

United States Navy Veteran

Stephen Benson

United States Navy Veteran

Vietnam War

Keith Boyea

United States Air Force Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom

Tony Camerino

United States Air Force Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Robert Caruso

United States Navy Veteran

David Chasteen

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom

Dario DiBattista

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Jason Davis

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Stephanie Driessel

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

LeighAnn Dunn

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

David Ramiro Duran

United States Army Veteran

Robin Eckstein

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Brian Esquibel

United States Navy Veteran

Operation Restore Hope

Operation Enduring Freedom

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Sonia Fernandez

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Brian Ferreira

United States Army Veteran

Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chance Forte

United States Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom

Phoebe Gavin

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Edgar G. Gibbs

United States Army Veteran

Lynne N. Gore

United States Air Force Veteran

Khristina Hall

United States Navy Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Rick Hegdahl

United States Navy Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Georgia Rep. Scott Holcomb

Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Operation Enduring Freedom

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Chris Holman

United States Army Veteran

Andrew Horne

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Jennifer Hunt

United States Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Keith Jeffreys

United States Army Veteran

Tara Jones

United States Navy Veteran

Gulf War Era

Nathan D. Joy

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Michelle Kendall

United States Army Veteran

Operation Joint Endeavor

Jason Macon

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Cyril Malika

United States Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom

Lamar Mapp

United States Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom

Alexander McCoy

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Brian McGough

United States Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Rafael Noboa Y Rivera

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Perry O'Brien

United States Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom

Matt Osborne

United States Army Veteran

Kade Patterson

United States Army Veteran

Jonas Rides At The Door

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Jackie Rodgers

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Katherine Scheirman, M.D.

United States Air Force Veteran

Terron Sims II

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Richard Allen Smith

United States Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom

Shannon Smyth

United States Air Force Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Joseph Richard Stutler Jr.

United States Army Veteran

Operation Desert Storm

Ryan Sullivan

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom

Mike Stark

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Armondo Telles

United States Marine Corps Veteran

Stephanie Torgerson

United States Air Force Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom

Charles Tyler

United States Army Veteran

Operation Desert Shield

Operation Desert Storm

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Colm Walker

United States Army Veteran

Operation Enduring Freedom

Mark White

United States Air Force Veteran

Eli Williamson

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Bobby Wise

United States Army Veteran

Operation Iraqi Freedom