(RNW) – Retired US Marine General John Sheehan got one thing right in his testimony to the US Congress: gays serve in the Dutch military. But it takes a foreigner to point that out. Here in The Netherlands, gays have served in the military for decades.

What?

The reaction here in The Netherlands has been a universal, 'huh?' From the current Foreign Minister to the Defence Minister at the time of the Srebrenica massacre; from leaders of unions representing soldiers to the former army commander; all have said that General Sheehan's remarks do not have the slightest basis in reality.

The Dutch caretaker Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said via Twitter that he was amazed at the ex general's comments - saying they reflected more about the discussion around homosexuals in the US army than anything else.

Minister of Defense Eimert van Middelkoop twittered: "scandalous and unbefitting a soldier".

In a statement, Dutch Ambassador Renée Jones-Bos said, "I take pride in the fact that lesbians and gays have served openly and with distinction in the Dutch military forces for decades, such as in Afghanistan at the moment."

"The military mission of Dutch U.N. soldiers at Srebrenica has been exhaustively studied and evaluated, nationally and internationally," Jones-Bos said. "There is nothing in these reports that suggests any relationship between gays serving in the military and the mass murder of Bosnian Muslims."

(Washington Post) Apr. 16. 2007 - Service to the nation is both a responsibility and an honor for every citizen presented with the opportunity. This is especially true in times of war and crisis. Today, because of the war in Iraq, this nation is in a crisis of confidence and is confused about its foreign policy direction, especially in the Middle East.

... It would have been a great honor to serve this nation again. But after thoughtful discussions with people both in and outside of this administration, I concluded that the current Washington decision-making process lacks a linkage to a broader view of the region and how the parts fit together strategically. We got it right during the early days of Afghanistan -- and then lost focus. We have never gotten it right in Iraq.

3 Generals Spurn the Position of War 'Czar'

"The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going," said retired Marine Gen. John J. "Jack" Sheehan, a former top NATO commander who was among those rejecting the job. Sheehan said he believes that Vice President Cheney and his hawkish allies remain more powerful within the administration than pragmatists looking for a way out of Iraq.

General John J. Sheehan's statement before the Senate Commission of Carl Levin: "Serbs came in and handcuffed the Dutch forces to telephone poles"

May 1995 – 370 UN peacekeepers held hostage by Serbs at possible miliary targets to avoid NATO air strikes

– The Dutch mission was a peacekeeping force in Bosnia, the UN and NATO would cover with military air support. The Serbs attacked the Bosnian enclave of Screbrenica in July, 1995. They calculated the UN and NATO would not provide cover with air power, due to large hostage taking earlier to offset NATO air strikes.

Dutch blast retired U.S. general John Sheehan for saying gay soldiers linked to Srebrenica massacre

CLIP 33 of 63 – TX 26.5.1995 UN peacekeepers chained up as hostages to prevent NATO air strikes against Bosnian Serb targets BOSNIA: Tuzla: UN Peacekeeping soldier chained to a post along road (being used as human shield). Other soldiers held hostage and handcuffed to ammunition dump doors. UN soldiers used at human shields, chained together on a strategic bridge. One makes an anti-NATO statement (under duress, their words not their own). Smoke rising in distance and explosions heard as result of NATO air strikes. NATO commander at press conference explains air strikes were a success, points at map. Aftermath of Head Up Display pictures (pilot's view) of a ground strike. Aftermath of Serb shelling on safe zones in city people milling around in the dark helping the injured and removing bodies. Day shot of aftermath of Sarajevo shelled, soldiers helping wounded out of the city. UN troops into UN vehicle.