2008 Woodie Awards
Military policy on gays is misguided, counterproductive
Robert Berra
Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace brought a firestorm upon himself in the past two weeks for his statements on morality. He specifically said that both adultery and homosexuality are immoral and should not be tolerated, if performed by members of the military.
There have been repeated calls for an apology by the general from various groups; he has not done so. While his remarks are especially callous considering that there are numerous homosexuals - probably in the thousands - serving in the military today, he has a right to have an opinion on the matter. He did, however, say that he should not have gone into his own personal beliefs and should have stuck to talking about the Department of Defense's policy.
The general is wrong, though. There is a significant difference between adultery and homosexuality. In the case of adultery, there is a legally recognized wronged party in the form of a spouse; a homosexual relationship is a consenting relationship between two adults.
Some have also pointed out the hypocrisy in allowing felons to serve in the military by getting waivers for crimes like armed robbery, while homosexuality is stigmatized. It would be interesting to know what Gen. Pace personally thinks of this policy. He probably does not like it, but it was out of the scope of his rant on immorality.
So, what is "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) anyway? Basically, it states that a soldier (sailor, marine, airman, coastie) can be gay, but they can't BE gay. Superior officers are not allowed to ask if a subordinate is gay. If a subordinate is found to be gay, he or she is processed out of the military. The process can take as little as four days. The policy is a mixed bag in itself because, on one hand, it might protect soldiers from hate crimes by their comrades by discouraging the conversation of sexual activity. It also allows gays to serve their country.
On the other hand, the policy does not always work, and it forces some to be silent about treatment they receive based on the suspicion that they are gay. In 1992, a sailor named Allen Schindler was stomped to death by an airman in a latrine. The medical examiner compared the injuries to those suffered by people trampled by horses. In 1999, Barry Winchell, a soldier, was harassed by fellow soldiers because he was thought to be homosexual. He didn't report the harassment because he thought it would cast suspicion on him. He was attacked in his sleep and beaten to death with a baseball bat by fellow soldiers.
There have been repeated calls for an apology by the general from various groups; he has not done so. While his remarks are especially callous considering that there are numerous homosexuals - probably in the thousands - serving in the military today, he has a right to have an opinion on the matter. He did, however, say that he should not have gone into his own personal beliefs and should have stuck to talking about the Department of Defense's policy.
The general is wrong, though. There is a significant difference between adultery and homosexuality. In the case of adultery, there is a legally recognized wronged party in the form of a spouse; a homosexual relationship is a consenting relationship between two adults.
Some have also pointed out the hypocrisy in allowing felons to serve in the military by getting waivers for crimes like armed robbery, while homosexuality is stigmatized. It would be interesting to know what Gen. Pace personally thinks of this policy. He probably does not like it, but it was out of the scope of his rant on immorality.
So, what is "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) anyway? Basically, it states that a soldier (sailor, marine, airman, coastie) can be gay, but they can't BE gay. Superior officers are not allowed to ask if a subordinate is gay. If a subordinate is found to be gay, he or she is processed out of the military. The process can take as little as four days. The policy is a mixed bag in itself because, on one hand, it might protect soldiers from hate crimes by their comrades by discouraging the conversation of sexual activity. It also allows gays to serve their country.
On the other hand, the policy does not always work, and it forces some to be silent about treatment they receive based on the suspicion that they are gay. In 1992, a sailor named Allen Schindler was stomped to death by an airman in a latrine. The medical examiner compared the injuries to those suffered by people trampled by horses. In 1999, Barry Winchell, a soldier, was harassed by fellow soldiers because he was thought to be homosexual. He didn't report the harassment because he thought it would cast suspicion on him. He was attacked in his sleep and beaten to death with a baseball bat by fellow soldiers.
Be the first to comment on this story