Asked for comment, Dutch military officials expressed astonishment. The spokesman for the Netherlands Ministry of Defense, Roger van de Wetering, told VOA Sheehan's assertions are "total nonsense" and that he "cannot believe that a man of that rank is stating such a thing." He added that he had never heard Sheehan's allegation before from any source in the Netherlands or anywhere else.
Voice of America reporting on testimony delivered by Ret. US General John Seehan in DC today. As part of a hearing about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, Sheehan specifically stated that inclusion of openly gay soldiers had affected the military readiness of European countries. He stated that inclusion, and an effort to "socialize" those militaries, led to Serbian forces overwhelming peace keepers from the Netherlands in 1995; and because of that, thousands of Muslin people were killed. Responding to questions fom Sen. Carl Levin, Sheehan further claimed that he spoke with Dutch leaders then about the "massacre" and that those leaders had said gay soldier inclusion was "part of the problem." VOA reports here that they contacted Dutch officials today, and the officials they spoke with are disputing Sheehan's bizarre claims. Look for more on this hearing at Metro Weekly. (VOA)
