Dutch officials have expressed outrage at the statements by retired U.S. General John J. Sheehan blaming the Srebrenica massacre on the presence of gay soldiers in their Army. The former NATO Commander testified that he was told that the presence of the gay soldiers was a significant contributor to the troops being captured without a serious fight.

Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sheehan said that the Dutch battalion at Srebrenica “was under strength, poorly led, and the Serbs came into town, handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone poles, marched the Muslims off, and executed them.” He suggested their lack of combat readiness was due to the presence of homosexual soldiers. Committee Chairman Carl Levin pressed the point and asking if Dutch leaders had told him that gay soldiers were to blame and Sheehan responded “yes they did. They included that as part of the problem.”

When the Serbs moved in on Srebrenica, the Dutch force put up little resistance. Some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered.

The Dutch Defense Ministry said the comments were “outrageous and unworthy of a soldier.” He is of course correct. This is much like prior statements that black soldiers could not be trusted in combat. He seems to have missed all of the decorated combat veterans who have been thrown out of the military because they are gay.

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