WEBVTT

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(Interpreter voice-over) Hello, everyone.
My name is Keith Nolan.

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I’m a cadet private.

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My talk today is on the topic
of the military.

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How many of you out there thought
you’d ever like to join the military?

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I see a number of you nodding.

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And I thought the same thing
ever since I was young.

NOTE Paragraph

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Growing up, I’d always wanted
to join the military.

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I loved military history

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and I’ve read a great deal on the subject.

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Also, I have various family members,
such as my grandfather and great uncle,

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who fought in World War II.

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And like them, I wanted the same thing:
to serve my country.

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So the question is: Can I?

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No, I can’t.

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Why? Simply because I’m deaf.

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Regardless of that fact, I still had
that longing to join the military.

NOTE Paragraph

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For example, after I graduated
from high school,

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three months before 9/11 occurred,

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I went to a naval recruiting center
with high hopes of joining the navy.

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I went in and a strapping naval man
stood up and addressed me.

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As he was speaking to me,
it was impossible for me to read his lips,

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so I said, “I'm sorry, I’m deaf.”

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He tore off a little piece of paper
and wrote down three words:

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“Bad ear. Disqual.”

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He didn't even fully
spell out "Disqualified,"

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just: “Bad ear. Disqual.”

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So I went on my way.

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I tried various locations a number
of different times, trying to join,

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but over and over again,
I got the same response:

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“Sorry, you’re deaf. We can’t accept you.”

NOTE Paragraph

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So I shifted gears
and decided to become a teacher.

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I completed a master's in deaf education
and taught for almost two years,

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until this past spring,
when three things occurred

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that changed that course,

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the first of which, while I was teaching
a high school history class.

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I’d lectured on the Mexican-American War.

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The bell had rung,
and I was seated at my desk,

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when one of my students,
who is deaf, approached me

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and said that he’d like
to join the military.

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I said, “Ah, sorry.
You can’t. You're deaf.”

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Then I caught myself.

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It struck me that all along
I had been told no, I can’t,

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and now I was perpetuating
that same message

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to the next generation, to my own student.

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That realization had a large impact
that really resonated with me.

NOTE Paragraph

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Now, the second thing that happened,
my friend had just moved to Israel.

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Did you know that in Israel
they accept deaf people into the military?

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How can deaf people be
in the military, right?

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Could this really be true? Come on!

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Well, I went to Israel last summer
to see for myself.

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I interviewed 10 deaf Israeli soldiers,

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all of those video interviews
and questions I’ve compiled,

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and the findings,
I’ll share with you later.

NOTE Paragraph

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Thirdly, CSUN here, my alma mater,

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had recently started up
an Army ROTC program.

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ROTC, which stands for
Reserve Officer Training Corps,

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allows students working on
their college majors

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to concurrently participate
in the ROTC program.

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Upon graduation, ROTC students
have a military career

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ready and waiting for them.

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So if one joined the army, one could
commission as a second lieutenant.

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That's generally the ROTC
program here at CSUN.

NOTE Paragraph

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Having learned that, I was intrigued.

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I already had a profession as a teacher,

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but I went ahead anyway
and sent an email off to the program,

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explaining that I was
a teacher of the deaf,

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wondering if I could take
a few classes with them

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and perhaps share their lessons
with my students.

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I got an email response back,

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and surprisingly, it was the first
time that I wasn't told,

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"Sorry, no, you can’t. You’re deaf."

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It said, "Well, that's interesting.

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I think maybe we can work something out

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and you can take a few classes with us."

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This was unprecedented.

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So naturally, I was shocked.

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Although I was teaching, I decided I had
to grab the opportunity right away

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and get my foot in the door.

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Altogether, that's how it transpired.

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Now, with all my life experiences,

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having talked with all the people I had,
and given everything I’ve read,

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I decided to write a research paper
called “Deaf in the Military.”

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I'll share with you
what those 98 pages entail.

NOTE Paragraph

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Here in America, we’ve actually had
deaf soldiers serving in the past.

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In fact, during
the Texas War of Independence,

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there was a key character
named Deaf Smith,

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who made a large contribution
to that war effort.

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For the American Civil War,

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Gallaudet University actually has archived
a list of deaf soldiers in that war

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from the North and the South,

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showing that deaf soldiers
were even fighting against each other.

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During World War II,
there are a few rare examples

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of deaf people who made it
into the military at that time

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and were able to serve
their country as well.

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History illustrates the fact
that America has had deaf soldiers,

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in contrast to today.

NOTE Paragraph

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In my paper, I also discuss
the deaf Israeli soldiers.

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I learned that they serve
in non-combat roles.

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The deaf soldiers are not
on the front lines engaged in fire,

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but rather, are behind the lines
serving in supportive roles.

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There are a plethora of various
non-combat jobs accessible to the deaf:

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intelligence, computer technology,
map drawing, supply,

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military dog training --

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the list goes on.

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The communication
between deaf Israeli soldiers

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and other soldiers who are hearing

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is carried out with the same approaches
deaf people in general use

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with the hearing public on a daily basis.

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You can use your voice,
lip-read, gestures,

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sometimes another soldier knows
sign language and that can be utilized,

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pen and paper, texts, computers, emails --

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seriously, there’s no
magic wand necessary.

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It's the same thing we do every day.

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Interpreters are used there primarily
for boot camp training.

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For the average work, it’s not necessary
to have an interpreter by your side.

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The Israeli Army is comprised
of small groups.

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Each of these units with deaf
soldiers have developed

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their own way of communicating
with each other,

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so there’s no need for interpreters.

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The top picture is of one soldier I met.

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The bottom photo
is of Prime Minister Begin

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with a deaf soldier in Israel.

NOTE Paragraph

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Another part of my paper touches on 
disabled soldiers in the US Military.

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Obviously, military work can be dangerous
and involve injury.

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One example here is Captain Luckett.

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Due to an explosion, he lost his leg.

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He’s recovered and currently has
a prosthetic leg.

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Now that he’s strong, he's back in combat,
still fighting in Afghanistan.

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It’s remarkable.

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And guess what? He’s not the only one.

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There are 40 other soldiers like him,

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amputees who are serving in combat zones.

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Incredible.

NOTE Paragraph

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Also, we have a blind soldier here.

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While he was in Iraq,

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an explosion from a suicide car bomber
destroyed his eyesight.

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He’s recovered and hasn’t left the army.

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The army has retained him on active duty,

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and he’s currently running a hospital
for wounded soldiers.

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I also found out online
about another soldier,

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who is deaf in one ear.

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He’s developed civil programs in Iraq,

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one of which actually started
a school for the deaf in Iraq.

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All of this is incredible.

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But I am going to ask all of you:

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If the US Military can retain
their disabled soldiers,

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why can’t they accept
disabled citizens as well?

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Moreover, out of all the US Military jobs,
80% are non-combat positions.

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There are many jobs that we
in the Deaf community can do.

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If I were to be in the military,
I’d like to do intelligence work.

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But there is an array
of other things we can do,

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such as mechanics, finance, medicine, etc.

NOTE Paragraph

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So to summarize, I’ve presented
three premises to support my argument,

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the first being, Israeli defense
openly accepts deaf soldiers.

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If you have the qualities
and skills required, they’ll take you.

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Secondly, the US Military
has accommodations

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for retaining their disabled soldiers.

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And lastly, 80% of occupations
in the military are non-combat.

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Now, can we Deaf Americans
serve our country?

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Yes! Of course!
Absolutely, without a doubt!

NOTE Paragraph

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Now I’ll explain a bit
about my experience in the Army ROTC,

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which began last fall.

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I have been involved with that thus far
and it’s still going on now.

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Really, I need to preface this

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by saying that this is the first time
my battalion had ever had a deaf cadet.

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They had never experienced that before.

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So of course, they were taken aback,
wondering, initially,

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how I would do this or that,
how would we communicate and such,

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which is a natural reaction,

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considering that many of them
had never interacted with a deaf person

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prior to me.

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Plus, I was taken aback by this --
it was the real thing, the army.

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I had to learn a whole new world,
full of military jargon,

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with its own culture and everything.

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So we started out slow,
getting to know each other

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and learning how
to work together, progressively.

NOTE Paragraph

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For example, on the first day
of class, I had no uniform.

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So I showed up in regular clothes,

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while the other cadets
were all in uniform.

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I found out that every morning at 5:30,
there was physical training, PT.

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On Fridays, there would be
field training -- labs -- off-campus,

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and occasionally, we would have
weekend training at a military base.

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So I showed up, ready,
each morning at 5:30,

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with all the cadets in uniform
and me in civilian clothes.

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They told me, “Hey, you know,
you don't need to work out.

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You can just simply take classes.”

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I told them I wanted to, anyway.

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They acknowledged that, and I continued
to show up every morning to train.

NOTE Paragraph

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When Friday came,
I asked if I could do the field training.

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I was told no, just stick with class.

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I insisted that I wanted to try.

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Somewhat reluctantly,
they let me attend the lab,

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but only as an observer;

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I would only be allowed
to sit and watch, not participate.

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Alright, so, I showed up on Friday,

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and watched as the cadets learned
marching drill commands,

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like how to stand at attention,
how to properly salute,

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and all the basics.

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I had to ask again if I could join.

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Finally, I got the go-ahead.

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I went to get in formation.

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I figured I better stand
in the second line,

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so I could watch what the cadets
were doing in the row ahead of me.

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But the officer who opened the door
for me to join the ROTC program

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spotted me in the back and said,
“Hey! Uh-uh. I want you in the front.

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You want to be a soldier?

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You've got to learn the commands
just like the rest of them.

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You’re not going to follow other people.
Learn it yourself!”

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I thought, "Wow.

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He’s viewing me like any person,
giving dignity to who I am."

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I was impressed by that.

NOTE Paragraph

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So as the weeks went by,
I still didn’t have a uniform.

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I asked if it would be possible
to get one, but I was told it wasn't.

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So I continued on that way,

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until one day, I was informed
that I’d be getting a uniform.

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"Please!" I said, “Really?
Why? What changed?”

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I was told, “We see your motivation,
you show up every morning, dedicated,

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and always gave a 110% effort.”

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They wanted to give me the uniform.

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It was remarkable.

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We went to the warehouse
to get my uniform.

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I assumed I’d just get a uniform
and a pair of boots, nothing more.

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But they filled two duffel bags
chock-full of gear:

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helmet, ammo vest, shovel,
sleeping bag -- the whole nine yards.

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I was astonished.

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And I have to tell you,

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each morning that I get up
and put on my uniform,

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I feel privileged.

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It’s truly an honor to wear the uniform.

NOTE Paragraph

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So, moving along,

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when it came time to train
at the garrison base,

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at first, I was told I couldn’t go.

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There was concern on the ROTC's part

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that if the interpreter
were to get injured during the training,

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it would be a liability issue.

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So we had to figure out
all those issues and confusion,

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but we worked it out,
and in the end, they let me go.

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That's how events were unfolding;
I was permitted to do more and more.

NOTE Paragraph

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Once, at the garrison base,
during one of the training days,

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a huge Chinook helicopter with its
tandem rotors landed right down to us,

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forcefully spinning
exhilaration in the air.

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All of us cadets were supposed
to be getting on board.

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Everyone was geared up and ready.

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However, the cadre had decided

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I wasn’t going to be able
to ride the Chinook.

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They were afraid
if the pilot shouted out orders,

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how would I be able
to follow the instructions?

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I’d potentially cause a disruption.

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So I had to stand aside,

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while the others were filing
toward the helicopter.

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I could see the cadre huddled up,
discussing, mulling it over.

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At the last minute, one of them said,
“Come on! Get on the helicopter!”

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I rushed over and got in.
It was such a thrill.

NOTE Paragraph

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And that was the spirit of learning about
and supporting one another

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that carried over.

00:12:13.812 --> 00:12:16.571
And since then, I’ve been involved
in everything they do,

00:12:16.595 --> 00:12:17.818
without any separation.

00:12:18.342 --> 00:12:20.510
This is where my passion lies.

00:12:20.534 --> 00:12:23.324
I love them. I’ll show you
some pictures here.

NOTE Paragraph

00:12:24.569 --> 00:12:28.289
Bruin Battalion, Bravo Company --
that’s the name of the group I belong to.

00:12:28.313 --> 00:12:32.779
The cadre are the officers and sergeants
who oversee the ROTC program.

00:12:33.277 --> 00:12:36.402
In the beginning, you can see,
it was a bit of an awkward phase.

00:12:36.426 --> 00:12:39.571
But once they learned more about me
and what I’m capable of doing,

00:12:39.595 --> 00:12:41.617
there's been tremendous support and unity.

00:12:41.641 --> 00:12:45.012
The cadets, my fellow peers --
well, when you train and sweat together,

00:12:45.036 --> 00:12:47.211
you feel the bond
of camaraderie right away.

00:12:47.235 --> 00:12:50.120
A brother- or sisterly cohesiveness
makes them like family.

00:12:50.585 --> 00:12:54.322
In training and military science classes,
we learn theories of warfare,

00:12:54.346 --> 00:12:57.471
how to lead soldiers,
how to do reconnaissance,

00:12:57.495 --> 00:12:59.565
strategies, how to knock out a bunker

00:12:59.589 --> 00:13:03.625
and land navigation, where you’re finding
your way out in the mountains.

00:13:05.466 --> 00:13:09.345
As far as accommodations,
I’ve been provided with interpreters

00:13:09.369 --> 00:13:13.318
through the National Center on Deafness,
NCOD, here at CSUN.

00:13:13.342 --> 00:13:14.890
And I really have to thank them,

00:13:14.914 --> 00:13:16.827
because it's hard to find interpreters

00:13:16.851 --> 00:13:19.235
who are willing to wake up
at 4:30 in the morning,

00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:21.144
or sometimes even 3:30 in the morning.

NOTE Paragraph

00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:23.624
That's the officer who emailed me back,

00:13:23.648 --> 00:13:26.161
saying I think you can have
a few classes with us.

00:13:26.185 --> 00:13:27.944
That's Lieutenant Mendoza.

00:13:28.660 --> 00:13:31.200
That’s my interpreter there,
before class starts.

00:13:31.524 --> 00:13:35.078
This is a picture from last fall,
when we were new to training.

NOTE Paragraph

00:13:35.985 --> 00:13:38.303
This is Lieutenant Colonel Phelps,

00:13:38.824 --> 00:13:40.586
this being his name sign.

00:13:40.610 --> 00:13:43.824
He's the commanding officer
of the entire Bruin Battalion.

00:13:44.617 --> 00:13:48.446
Every time I see him walk by,
it’s rather inspiring.

00:13:48.470 --> 00:13:53.974
I mean, the way he presents himself,
you can see he’s the epitome of a soldier.

00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:56.569
Plus, he doesn't view me as a deaf person.

00:13:56.593 --> 00:13:59.242
He looks at my skills
and capabilities instead.

00:13:59.266 --> 00:14:02.452
He’s really pushed for me,
and I respect him for all that.

NOTE Paragraph

00:14:02.476 --> 00:14:04.332
That’s me during one of the exercises.

00:14:04.356 --> 00:14:07.131
This is that Chinook helicopter
I almost didn’t get on.

00:14:07.530 --> 00:14:09.669
Every cadet has a mentor.

00:14:10.202 --> 00:14:12.868
My mentor is Cinatl.

00:14:13.359 --> 00:14:15.225
He’s a really sharp soldier.

00:14:15.249 --> 00:14:18.949
He teaches me all the finer points
and how to execute them ideally.

NOTE Paragraph

00:14:19.774 --> 00:14:23.429
This top picture is when
a group of us went to Las Vegas

00:14:23.453 --> 00:14:24.778
to compete in a test,

00:14:24.802 --> 00:14:28.701
to see if we could match the German
troops' physical training standards.

00:14:28.725 --> 00:14:32.700
It involved swimming, timed sprints,
marksmanship and numerous fitness events.

00:14:32.724 --> 00:14:34.860
I passed them
and satisfied the requirements

00:14:34.884 --> 00:14:39.100
to be awarded the gold German Armed Forces
Proficiency Badge right here.

00:14:40.637 --> 00:14:43.444
This is one of the sergeants,
Sergeant Richardson.

00:14:43.468 --> 00:14:47.156
I love this guy. He doesn't take baloney
from any of us cadets.

NOTE Paragraph

00:14:49.505 --> 00:14:51.122
Here I am one morning,

00:14:51.146 --> 00:14:54.464
when we trekked seven and a half miles
with a 40-pound rucksack

00:14:54.488 --> 00:14:56.027
in less than two hours.

00:14:56.611 --> 00:14:58.783
Here are a few of my fellow cadets.

00:15:00.021 --> 00:15:04.676
I've been with them long enough
that I’ve developed name signs for them.

00:15:05.246 --> 00:15:07.298
On the right, here, is Trinidad.

00:15:07.322 --> 00:15:10.760
I gave him this name sign
because he's always very sarcastic.

00:15:10.784 --> 00:15:14.099
He's a veteran, having served
in Iraq and Afghanistan.

00:15:14.123 --> 00:15:17.191
The female is Frigo,
whose nickname is "Refrigerator,"

00:15:17.215 --> 00:15:18.436
hence her name sign.

00:15:18.460 --> 00:15:20.887
We’re always competing
intellectually in class.

00:15:20.911 --> 00:15:25.031
The cadet on the end is Jarvy.
He's a top athlete.

00:15:25.055 --> 00:15:28.065
I've given him this sign
because of the scar he has here.

NOTE Paragraph

00:15:28.588 --> 00:15:30.017
Do you know who this is?

00:15:30.041 --> 00:15:33.435
This is the Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

00:15:33.459 --> 00:15:35.655
He is the highest-ranking military officer

00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:38.614
and principal military advisor
to President Obama

00:15:38.638 --> 00:15:40.537
and Secretary of Defense Gates.

00:15:40.968 --> 00:15:43.572
He gave a talk at UCLA to a full house.

00:15:43.596 --> 00:15:45.598
Afterwards, I lined up to shake his hand.

00:15:45.622 --> 00:15:48.809
Having done so, I greeted him,
“It’s a great pleasure to meet you.”

00:15:48.833 --> 00:15:50.879
I signed and my interpreter voiced for me.

00:15:50.903 --> 00:15:54.456
Admiral Mullen turned to the interpreter
and said, “It’s nice to meet you,”

00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:57.078
addressing the interpreter,
who refrained to clarify.

00:15:57.102 --> 00:15:59.597
He seemed a little confused
and just quickly moved on

00:15:59.621 --> 00:16:01.731
to shake hands
with the rest of the soldiers.

00:16:01.755 --> 00:16:04.626
So I’m not sure whether he really knew
that I'm deaf or not.

NOTE Paragraph

00:16:04.650 --> 00:16:08.741
So everything’s been moving along,
gung-ho, full speed ahead,

00:16:08.765 --> 00:16:12.370
until two weeks ago,

00:16:12.816 --> 00:16:14.251
when something occurred.

00:16:15.149 --> 00:16:17.968
Well, the ROTC has four levels.

00:16:17.992 --> 00:16:22.476
I’m currently doing the first two levels,
which finishes up this May.

00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:24.401
The third level will begin in the fall.

00:16:24.425 --> 00:16:27.490
But in order to move up,
you need to pass a medical exam.

00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:32.629
Obviously, I’m deaf,
so I’d fail a hearing test.

00:16:34.471 --> 00:16:36.510
So we sat down,

00:16:36.534 --> 00:16:40.647
and I was told that if I wanted
to continue to the third level,

00:16:40.671 --> 00:16:44.433
I couldn’t do any
of the PT workouts in the morning,

00:16:44.457 --> 00:16:49.471
nor the Friday lab field trainings,
nor the army base trainings.

00:16:49.495 --> 00:16:51.887
My uniform, I would have to
give back as well.

00:16:52.800 --> 00:16:55.547
I could take the classes,
audit them, and that’s all.

00:16:56.968 --> 00:16:59.872
It really hit me. It was a huge blow.

NOTE Paragraph

00:17:03.037 --> 00:17:06.213
Many of the officers
and cadets have empathized

00:17:06.237 --> 00:17:08.566
with this sudden shock of disappointment,

00:17:08.590 --> 00:17:11.103
and are wondering
why this has to be the case.

00:17:11.587 --> 00:17:14.579
Colonel Phelps has tried
to speak with the higher-ups

00:17:14.603 --> 00:17:15.928
in the chain of command

00:17:15.952 --> 00:17:18.544
and explain to them
that I’m one of the top cadets,

00:17:18.568 --> 00:17:21.928
having passed all the events
and receiving high marks on my exams.

00:17:21.952 --> 00:17:23.587
But their response is unwavering:

00:17:23.611 --> 00:17:26.577
policy is policy, and if you’re deaf,
you’re disqualified.

00:17:27.717 --> 00:17:31.937
I know that the cadre has tried
to find various ways.

00:17:31.961 --> 00:17:35.560
They found out that
there's a deaf cadet at The Citadel,

00:17:36.555 --> 00:17:38.785
a military college in South Carolina.

00:17:39.770 --> 00:17:42.996
That particular cadet will be completing
his fourth year there

00:17:43.020 --> 00:17:44.187
and graduating this May.

00:17:44.211 --> 00:17:46.481
Yet, he's in the same
predicament that I'm in --

00:17:46.505 --> 00:17:48.718
unable to join the army because he’s deaf.

NOTE Paragraph

00:17:50.505 --> 00:17:53.258
Yet, all of my fellow cadets
and the officers have told me

00:17:53.282 --> 00:17:55.422
not to give up; the policy must change.

00:17:56.040 --> 00:17:58.090
I was advised to talk with my congressman.

00:17:58.114 --> 00:18:01.347
And I've brought this issue
to Henry Waxman,

00:18:01.371 --> 00:18:03.422
the district congressman here in LA,

00:18:03.446 --> 00:18:06.090
to get the ball rolling
with his advocacy for my cause.

00:18:06.114 --> 00:18:08.494
However, I need your help
and support to lobby.

00:18:08.518 --> 00:18:09.731
All of us, you know?

NOTE Paragraph

00:18:10.302 --> 00:18:13.449
If you remember back in US history,
African-Americans were told

00:18:13.473 --> 00:18:15.017
they couldn’t join the military,

00:18:15.041 --> 00:18:16.192
and now they serve.

00:18:16.216 --> 00:18:18.839
Women as well were banned,
but now they've been allowed.

00:18:18.863 --> 00:18:20.504
The military has and is changing.

00:18:20.528 --> 00:18:22.903
Today is our time. Now it’s our turn.

NOTE Paragraph

00:18:22.927 --> 00:18:24.088
Hooah!

NOTE Paragraph

00:18:24.112 --> 00:18:25.262
(Applause)