Each of the major branches of our armed services has its core values. In the U.S. Air Force, our servicemen are taught integrity comes first. In the Navy, it’s about “Honor — Courage — Commitment.” The coat of arms at West Point reads “Duty — Honor — Country.” Our rich military tradition is deeply rooted in the belief that the men and women who serve our country must stand as examples of the highest moral character for the people of the world. Sadly enough, we have spent almost 20 years drowning this ideal in the holy golden showers of our Christian nation.
At the beginning of this month, both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, testified about the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” before the Senate Armed Services Committee. When both straight men came out in favor of repealing the policy, an ominous feeling washed over the land. As images of soldiers in skimpy rainbow camouflage raced through many conservative minds, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, rushed to place everything into perspective for a nation on the brink of chaos. “Has the policy been ideal? No, it has not,” McCain said. “But it has been effective.”
If anyone knows where I can get what McCain is smoking, please let me know. This is the same guy who only a few years ago said “the day the leadership of the military comes to me and says ‘Senator, we ought to change the policy,’ then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it.” Well, the commander in chief, the secretary of defense and the head of the pentagon are now saying that repealing don’t ask don’t tell is the right thing to do. But I agree with you, Senator. We need to wait until the head of each sanitation department weighs in before making any hasty decisions.
Please clue me in, what exactly are conservatives afraid of? Does the Fox News crowd really believe that having members of the military utter the phrase “I am gay” is going to result in the undoing of our military?
Let’s look at the U.K. More than 10 years ago, the European Court of Human Rights found banning gays from openly serving in the military was a violation of their right to privacy. Since then, openly gay members of the military seem to have been able to help us shoot back at Iraqis. Despite threats, there were no mass resignations. There has been no noticeable detriment to combat effectiveness. In short, there have been no problems.
Conversely, I can see at least two big problems with don’t ask don’t tell. The first problem lies in fighting force. Under the policy, more than 800 mission critical troops have been discharged, including 59 Arabic linguists. I’ve talked to members of the military, both active and retired, who have said they would gladly risk talking to a member of the gay persuasion in exchange for a translator.
The second problem has far more terrifying implications. If we force our gay troops to remain closeted, then we open ourselves up to potentially enormous security breaches. One of the highest-ranking soldiers to ever reveal themselves as gay is Gen. Keith H. Kerr, who spent most of his career in intelligence groups. Imagine if you were a foreign intelligence officer tasked with stealing secrets from the U.S. military. A general who feared being discharged under don’t ask don’t tell would look like a fairly lucrative prospect, wouldn’t he? Is our national sense of homophobia really worth compromising our vital secrets?
Make no mistake, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will be repealed. Clinton should never have established it in the first place. President Barack Obama should repeal it. This is not a matter for Congress. This is a matter for a president who can grow a pair and do the right thing. Our president needs to take a lesson from Harry S. Truman. Truman desegregated the U.S. military in 1948 with an Executive Order. Obama should do the same for gays in 2010.
We have lived with this absurd policy for the better part of two decades. The members of our armed services are asked to sacrifice enough. We ask them to sacrifice their relationships, their freedoms, and in some cases their very lives. We must no longer ask them to sacrifice who they are.
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OkieWXman 2 years, 3 months ago
Okay, BUT:
I can't help but wonder how many soldiers the "don't ask don't tell" policy has saved from getting severely beat up, or constantly bullied.
The majority of people in the military are straight, and most of them wouldn't feel comfortable sharing barracks or a shower with someone who could be secretly lusting over them.
Bubba 2 years, 3 months ago
Oh God, this kind of "nobody understands but us" is what leads to alcoholism, substance abuse, suicide... Come on. So, McBob would have us believe people are risking their lives for a country who just don't understand? Everybody bleeds son... and it's all red. The vast majority of conservative military are bottled up and it's not psychologically healthy. Maybe the final stage of boot-camp should be being able to see an erection in a shower room without resigning the military. They don't have to salute it. Oh, but I'm not in the military, so I guess I just have no conception of the human experience.
-Bubba
wiggin 2 years, 3 months ago
"Sadly enough, we have spent almost 20 years drowning this ideal in the holy golden showers of our Christian nation."
This imagery is fantastic.
RW1121 2 years, 3 months ago
Wow, Okie. I'm pretty sure there were similar arguments for segregation.
With that logic, maybe we should have just kept it that way, since integrating blacks into schools and letting them eat at the same restaurants as whites ruffled one too many feathers.
What a great period of American history that was, huh?
dargus 2 years, 3 months ago
I can't help but wonder how many black people would have avoided getting beat up or killed if we had only passed a law forcing them to wear white face makeup. What a ludicrous line of reasoning.
mcbob 2 years, 3 months ago
Travis Grogan hasn't spent a day in the military. Who are these members of the military he has claimed to of talked with? Translators in Iraq are very trustworthy and the people Travis has talked to has probably never had direct contact with them.
He in no way can understand how military units live and deploy together in the closest of quarters. Never will he truly understand what combat effectiveness means.
His intelligence argument is ludicrous at best and has no concept of the military intelligence career field.
You all may not like it, but a vast majority of the military is conservative and it would not mesh well. Until the Daily can find someone with a better understanding of anything military this opinion column has zero merit.
DBSherman 2 years, 3 months ago
@OkieWXman: If someone is that paranoid about sharing a barracks shower with a gay man, then he shouldn't join the military. Or go to the gym.
Don't ask, don't tell allows gays to serve- it just prevents them from admitting that they're gay. Thus the fear that you're projecting on "most" of the people in our military is irrational, as they have probably already served alongside a homosexual without knowing it.
If there is real danger of gays being severely beaten up in our military, then that reflects very poorly on the character of the men and women that serve. I'd prefer to believe that our military is composed of people better than that.
Newsweek recently published a piece written by an openly gay officer in the Israeli military. I think it provides an interesting perspective on this issue: http://www.newsweek.com/id/233132
Scrivener5 2 years, 3 months ago
Here's from an article published on February 14, 2010:
Obama's national security adviser, retired Marine Gen. James Jones, said on CNN's "State of the Union" that the policy "has to evolve with the social norms of what is acceptable and what is not."
It is precisely this type of ignorance of history--this type of ignorance of how President Truman DEFIED the existing "social norms" of racist 1950s American society--this type of ignorance that so characteristically defines the bumbling, stumbling, and clueless Obama administration. Sad state of affairs.
President Obama, enough is enough. Put up or shut up. Dilly-dally is only going to end up with you being shown the door when your first term is up. Then, the collective American public will bid you goodbye and advise you--in the old Southern saying--to not let the door knob hit you where the good Lord split you.
jssooner4 2 years, 3 months ago
Here is a idea to consider. Should a man who is openly gay be allowed to use the showers at the Huffman Center. Well, of course he is, he is a male and any man regardless of sex or color is allowed to use the bathrooms and showers. Now I do not see anybody at OU losing their minds over this, but put the same arguemnt in the military and suddenly it changes. Here is what the policy should be, if a person cannot handle living, working, fighting with a gay man or woman, then they shouldn't join the military. Same thing would be said if someone wasn't comfortable doing any of the same with a hispanic, black, white, female etc.
Archey 2 years, 3 months ago
I'm sorry, but you've missed the point of the policy in the first place: to protect those who serve.
Don't ask, Don't tell has been an effective and forward policy implimented by a non-conservative commander-in-cheif Bill Clinton.
It's purpose was to allow military service members with alternative lifestyles to serve, having been banned from service previously.
Eliminating the policy will lead to considerable risks to services members regaurdless of lifestyle.
Currently, it is against military regulation to house members of the opposite sex in the same barracks due to the risk of sexual abuse. If we eliminate this policy, it opens the eyes of the men and women serving to a negative attitude of perceived sexual advance, or discomfort stemming from lack of privacy caused by the possiblity of sexual attraction, attention and/or relation.
Hotel Rooms are stictly quarted to not allow for sexual conduct while on duty. It would be in no way approriate to house me, a man, with a female in a hotel room. The same is true with men of alternative lifestyles, or man who is, and a man who isn't homosexual.
And you must consider the danger service men and women will be placed in by eliminating this policy. I feel fear for the saftey the men and women regaurdless of sexual orrientation. Because it takes your mind off your job. And when bullets are flying, or bombs are being dropped, there is no room for error.
I'm not telling anyone to stay in the closet.
I'm telling everyone to keep your personal lives at home, and while you are on duty, do your job. And get down to business.
If no one talked about their sexual lives, then no one could have any issues. If you refuse to do so at any business, you will be fired for sexual harrasment.
Keep the policy, don't ask, don't tell. Defend freedom.
"I am the Infantry, Follow me!"
mustafa 2 years, 3 months ago
"Please clue me in, what exactly are conservatives afraid of?"
As I said before heterosexuals can be affirming and non-discriminatory but will not wish to associate with homosexuals. Eliminate Don’t Ask and the armed forces will become a haven for open homosexuals which will cause heterosexuals to stay out in droves.
That dosen’t sound like it will make for a very good situation for our national security forces.