The top U.S. Marine Corps general is facing calls to resign after claiming that allowing openly gay and lesbian servicemembers in the military could threaten the lives of U.S. troops. On Tuesday, Marine Commandant General James Amos said that repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy could to lead to “distractions” for troops in combat situations.

Gen. James Amos: “When your life hangs on the line, on the intuitive behavior of the young man — and this is predominantly what we’re talking about right here — young man, that sits to your right and your left, you don’t want anything distracting that. I take that very, very seriously. I don’t want to lose any Marines to a distraction. I don’t want to have any Marines that I’m visiting at Bethesda (hospital) with no legs be a result of any type of distraction.”

Amos’s comments mark the first time a senior Pentagon official has suggested that repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” could cost lives. In a statement, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said Amos should drop his opposition or step down from his post. A recent Pentagon review found that a clear majority of servicemembers have no opposition to lifting the ban, with more than 70 percent saying that a repeal would have “positive, mixed or no results.”