A Time for Change
I sadly couldn’t find anyone to publish this editorial about the need to abolish Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to allow homosexuals to serve in the military. Maybe President Obama will do what President Clinton didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to accomplish.
I was in my office at the National Security Agency on July 19, 1993 when President Clinton announced he had surrendered to criticism and compromised on his plan to completely lift the restrictions on homosexuals serving in the Armed Forces. Instead, he was implementing the policy that became known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
I was reflecting on my pending retirement from the Air Force and my new career as a mental health professional when someone walked in with the news. People began pumping their fists in celebration. Someone yelled out, “That’ll teach the queer-loving SOB!” And others there nodded in agreement.
I thought about chewing them out. But they were only mirroring the insubordinate attitude toward their Commander-in-Chief that most military leaders from the Joint Chiefs of Staff on down had tacitly tolerated since Clinton was first elected.
I reached down and took a book out of my school bag.
The book was a voluminous Rand study with the title Changing the policy toward homosexuals in the U.S. military. After surveying foreign militaries and U.S. fire and police departments with openly gay and lesbian members, the report came to one simple conclusion—all that was necessary for the successful integration of homosexuals into the armed forces was for senior military leaders to order it, while establishing and enforcing a strict no-tolerance policy for violations. .
In my gradual transition from my career in military intelligence to becoming a mental health professional, I had become convinced that homosexuals posed no threat whatsoever to good order and discipline. As I saw it, the open insubordination against the President that day was more damaging to good order and discipline than any homosexual on active duty could ever be.
The enlistment and commissioning oaths swear military members to follow the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. Yet, homosexuality seemed to be the one issue that allowed them to be ignored.
That was fifteen years ago. And nothing has changed.
At a time when military linguists are in short supply and require tens of thousands of dollars and years of training to produce, we discharge them solely because of their sexual orientation. While we accept increasing numbers of enlistees with criminal histories to counter falling recruitment rates, experienced gay and lesbian military members continue to be discharged with no recognition of the contradictions in the two policies.
As Congress has begun discussing eliminating Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, I hear the angry voices again. But unlike that day in the office in 1993, I can’t just sit by quietly.
We should finally be honest about what “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” really means. The policy doesn’t just require that homosexual members keep quiet about their sexual orientation and activity. It prohibits them from having sex while on active duty and effectively short circuits their constitutional rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Most important, we need to understand that doing away with the policy isn’t just about giving homosexuals in this society the right to serve their country. It is about returning true integrity to the military and reestablishing the central constitutional principle of civilian control over the armed forces.
In the end, we need to finally recognize we’re all in this together. And be grateful for every person willing to serve his or her country in a time when most Americans are content to let someone else fill their place in the line.
