Former 22nd U.S. Secretary Robert Gates of Defense

9/24/2018

Honorable Robert Gates

Chancellor of College of William & Mary

Office of the Chancellor

c/o President’s Office

College of William & Mary

P.O. Box 8795

Williamsburg, VA  23187-8795

Dear Honorable Gates,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history including social justice. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for Civil Rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, and many others.  Honorable Gates, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as 22^nd U.S. Secretary of Defense and as a moderate Republican to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as 22^nd U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2006-2011, I liked on how you worked with Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic President Barack Obama to help our country including the military.  On Civil Rights, I liked on how you advocated for people with disabilities’ rights and pushing for the Defense department to combat against discrimination including hate-crime to help protect minorities, women, and people with disabilities.  Another thing on Civil Rights was how you worked with President Bush including President Obama to help expand programs to allow women to serve in the military and teamed up with Obama to end the DADT policy to help protect military officials who are homosexual or have a different sexual orientation from being discriminated in the military.   On dealing with the Walter Reed Medical Center Scandal, I liked on how you including President Bush created a President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors to investigate the current military and VA health system when they neglected wounded veterans or U.S. troops who suffer from PTSD or different diseases.  Another thing that I liked about your work as U.S. Secretary of Defense was how you expressed the need for the military equipment to use energy-efficient products or use renewable energy resources to reduce addiction to oil with gas while reduce pollution, worked with other foreign countries to find ways to reduce nuclear weapons to reach a goal of peace, and pushed for more funds to help improve equipment for U.S. troops to help protect them when they are in combat.  Also In your role as a moderate Republican I’m very proud on how you have the courage to continue support Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights, expressing the need to combat against climate change to protect the environment, and a strong need for immigration reform to help protect immigrants including refugees from oppressive countries when your own party gets too extreme. During the 2016 Presidential election I liked on how you spoke out against Donald Trump when he used bigotry against people who are different including minorities, women, and people with disabilities.

Honorable Gates, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased. Your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability.  Also your role as 22^nd U.S. Secretary of Defense and as a moderate Republican gives me motivation to continue to learn history and social justice. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need to make Civil Rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, have immigration reform to help protect immigrants including refugees from being oppressed, and many others.

I strongly believe that  you made a great difference when you served in public service. I’m very proud on how you worked hard to support Civil Rights, push for military reform, and advocate for common sense ideas.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great impact on our country, and inspiring me.  I wish you the best to continue to advocate for common sense ideas.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick