Dutch Blast U.S. General's Gay Comments

(AP)  The Dutch prime minister Friday denounced as "irresponsible" a claim by a retired U.S. general that gay Dutch soldiers were partly to blame for allowing Europe's worst massacre since World War II.

Dutch officials, from the Cabinet to the military, were outraged by retired Gen. John Sheehan's remarks at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Sheehan claimed that Dutch military leaders had called the presence of gay soldiers in the army "part of the problem" that allowed Serb forces to overrun the Srebrenica enclave in Bosnia in July 1995 and kill some 8,000 Muslim men.

Dutch troops were serving in the undermanned U.N. peacekeeping force in Srebrenica when they were overrun by heavily armed Serb forces, who went on to turn the surrounding countryside into killing fields littered with mass graves.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende called Sheehan's comments irresponsible and said at his weekly news conference that "these remarks should never have been made."

"Toward Dutch troops - homosexual or heterosexual - it is way off the mark to talk like that about people and the work they do under very difficult circumstances," he said.

Sheehan, a former NATO commander who retired from the military 1997, was speaking in opposition to a proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the U.S. military.

Balkenende said he would not take up the issue with President Barack Obama because Sheehan is already retired.

Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop called Sheehan's claim "damaging" and not worthy of a soldier. "I don't want to waste any more words on it," he said.

Gen. Henk van den Breemen, Dutch chief of staff at the time of the Srebrenica genocide, called Sheehan's comments "total nonsense" and denied ever having suggested gays in the army might have played a role in the Srebrenica massacre.

The Netherlands has a long history of accepting homosexuality, and gays have long been welcome in the country's armed forces - which also allow labor unions.

The leader of one such union, Jan Kleian, was incensed by Sheehan's comments.

"The man is crazy," he told Dutch radio. "It sounds hard, but I can't put it any other way."

[mrgoodmorning]

So this guy purgers himself in front of Congress to try ti incorrectly frame his lame argument and noting is done about it?

[armyoftwelve]

This isn't the first time I've heard complaints about homosexual troops serving in Bosnia. Most of the complaints I've heard about were in the BRITISH armed forces!

I wouldn't expect CURRENT Dutch generals to be critical of current Dutch policy. Would you???? Let's see if some retired Dutch generals come out of the woodwork to complain!!!

[thetruth-2009]

The comments by this retired General, is what is wrong with the US military. These types of lunatics should be run out of our armed forces. Gays have served in all military forces in all the countries of the world serving with distinction in all situations throughout history. When a man thinks like Sheehan it makes you wonder what other bad decisions he made while leading our brave forces. I don't appreciate his comments because I have and have had many family members serve in our armed forces, and it worries me that these type of people are working in important leadership positions like he was.

[tsigili]

As well they should. The remarks were ridiculous.

[DutchCrunch]

Balkenende did not leave at all. The Labour party left, Balkie is with the Dutch Christian party (yes, even Godless Holland is run by religious folk). Balkenende is still very much prime minister. As far as all other parties disagreeing with him, even that is not true. The Dutch liberal party was for prolongation of the mission, but they were not in the government.

[bobby1799]

Gee, American's can thanks this moron for making it worst for your nation to be accepted and respected throughout the world. And your government wonders why other nations dislike you guys.

I feel sorry for you folks.

Proud Canadian.

[hateisafourletterword]

Yep. We defend the world from tyranny. We pay around 50% of the UN dues and host these morons in our largest city. We re-built Europe and Japan after WWII. We bailed France out of Vietnam. We saved South Korea. Whether it is right or wrong, women in Afghanistan now can attend school without being murdered (in some places at least).


Yep, the nasty old US of A. We are some bad people aren't we? The trouble is we spend alot of time, energy and resources helping every other effing country in the world out - Haiti and Chile are recent examples - that when we suffer a tragedy like New Orleans, we do not take the time to take care of our own as well as we should.

And the USA is still the medical researcher, medical device maker and medical provider for the world most of the time. Leaders and wealthy people from all over the world come here for medical attention.

I even knew of a Canadian boy in getting a bone marrow transplant in our country about 20 years ago. Seems Canada did not do childrens bone marrow transplants then. However during testing of family members to check for a match, the doctors in the USA discovered that the father also had leukemia. Wouldn't you know it, CANADA made the father go to Vancouver for his treatments while the boy stayed in the USA.

Must have been great to be the family. Where does the wife go? Stay with their son or go with her husband? In the USA we would pressure the government or insurance company to have compassion and allow them to be treated together. Not in Canada I guess.

So stop the bagging on us. We are far from perfect, but we are still the best no matter how much the left and right hate each other on this site.

[cleric60]

These Dutch soldiers were so busy being merry ones that they didn't notice the Serbians.
Just a thought!

[pbaird2]

Another ignorant comment, cleric60. Gays have been and always will be in the military. The ancients often had couples in the same battalions because a man will fight more when protecting a loved one. Having openly Gay people in the military does not break down morale...ignorance and bigotry does. People of color and women were once barred from serving in combat but these groups have proven most admirable. Until we cast off our baseless fears we will be no better than the fundamentalist terrorists we battle against.