Veterans Benefits

One Marines View of Don't Ask Don't Tell

10 Comments

Here is my take on DADT.  “What’s for lunch?”

Who really cares about this gargantuan distraction from real life?

We would be better served with a poll determining how many players in the NFL are gay?  Do you know?

10 thoughts on “One Marines View of Don't Ask Don't Tell”

  1. Well, here’s another veteran’s take:  Repeal it.  Allow gays to serve openly in the American military.

    I submit that the US military is much more ready for this now than it was in 1993, when President Clinton first tried to remove the ban on homosexuals serving in the military. 

    It’s been nearly twenty years since then.  American society is now much more accustomed to homosexuals and heterosexuals living side-by-side, openly.

    Most of the soldiers in our ranks nowadays have spent years growing up with, going to school with, working with and in general living with gay men and lesbian women who are out of the closet.

    The ranks are ready for this, by and large.

    If nothing else, everyone has seen this coming for years.  No one should be surprised at the prospect of gays and lesbians serving openly in the US armed forces.  EVERYONE in our military is a volunteer…so hopefully, they considered what they might be getting into.

    For those in our military—and I think it’s a very small minority—who can’t deal with the idea of serving with a gay soldier, come up with some “early-out” program.  Release people from their enlistment contracts—-although, for the reasons I’ve laid out above, we should demand back enlistment bonuses.  Give a one-time blanket amnesty for early-outs.  

    Then, once the window for early-outs closes, everyone remaining in the ranks will know what the expectations are from then on. 

    1. Very cogent and humane thinking Don.  You should be on the Joint Chief’s staff! As a footnote,  I currently know 3 gay men, all Officers, all decorated, one was first in his class out of the Air Force Academy. All, are some of the most fit and intellectually superior men I know.  The two lesbian women I know are both senior NCO’s  with the same attributes.  Like I said, “What’s for lunch.”
      There are other times I wonder if the old guard is more repressed about other gender issues.  Ever since women could become Submarine Commanders, I think they are reeling with some personal identity shortcomings.

      2. Actually the last thing we need is the kind of “humane” thinking that lets people claim that they “personally” don’t care and at the same time elect anti-gay legislators ( like McCain, McClung and Kelly) that are responsible for the current bigotry in the first place.
        What we need are people who DO care.

  2. Who really cares about this gargantuan distraction from real life?
    Well for the gay servicemen and women, it IS real life, and matters a great deal.
    They are used to the majority considering them to be unimportant, though.

    1. I  believe the writer knows they are important and respects the integrity of each.  When respect is in order and discipline and character are not compromisd…no policies are needed. I think that is what he means by, “what’s for lunch.”

  3. I agree 100 percent.  For most people it’s a non-issue.  And there should definitely be some sort of a penalty for anyone who wants out of the military for a bull$hit reason like that.

  4. Well said gents.  There are certainly more pressing issues confronting us. Plus there is no budget to fight bigotry. In all my years in the military never once did a gay man ever distract us from our mission nor subtract from Unit cohesion. Just the opposite was true. Those that bring up the topic should get “office hours,” and fined.

    And the joke question from Brewer…….I think the NFL reported in the early 80’s that approximately 3-5% of the NFL is gay. There cohesion seems to be fine.

  5. During my military tours I served with and supervised men I knew were gay and never felt their personal choices were detrimental to the quality of our mission work.  One of the main reasons was that I talked openly with them about their choices from time to time, and gained a clear understanding that as far as most of the other men in our unit – well.. they weren’t on their radar.  Daily missions involved close-proximity work, and if there had been an issue, someone would have told me about it.  It never happened.  There was far more distraction and nearly continual issues with straight men and women who had nearly every good-looking woman or man on their “skin-scan” radar, and the flurry of interpersonal relationships resulted in a number of verbal and written warnings and changing assignments and schedules on a fairly regular basis.
    During my first tour I spent six hours driving a man home who was discharged.  He was an excellent technician and it was definitely not in the best interest of our mission when he was forced to leave.  The negative impact of him being forced out was by far more of a distraction to others I served with than his personal choices.  It left a hole that was tough to fill with a quality technician of his caliber, and it negatively impacted morale because those who served with him daily respected him and his work.  Out of over 200 men and women that I worked with regularly, I knew of two who applauded his discharge, but it wasn’t because of their personal experiences.  It was being policy was upheld.  I know that they too said their goodbyes on their personal time and they told me they were sorry to see him go, despite policy.

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