Very interesting debate from a couple of weeks ago regarding DADT and the recent Joint Forces Quarterly article on this subject:
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Comes Out of the Closet - To the Point on KCRW
A very good photo series on the life of a typical American soldier from enlistment through his first two years of service. Check it out.
Okay, Dan Choi of Knights Out doesn't pass much for Gary Sinese's famous movie character but Donnelly certainly resembles Forrest Gump - without the charming innocence.
DADT advocates still need a much better spokesperson for their cause, although as a staunch opponent of this law perhaps I shouldn't say anything more on that...
Oh yeah, one more thing: can you feel that "hope and change" yet? Me neither.
(this is also posted over on Gay Patriot)
The winning essay from the 2009 Secretary of Defense National Security Essay Competition criticizing the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) ban against gays openly serving in the military appears in the upcoming issue of Joint Forces Quarterly. This journal is "published for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff" and with regards to this essay, The Boston Globe reports:
The views do not necessarily reflect those of Pentagon leaders, but their appearance in a publication billed as the Joint Chiefs’ “flagship’’ security studies journal signals that the top brass now welcomes a debate in the military over repealing the 1993 law that requires gays to hide their sexual orientation, according to several longtime observers of the charged debate over gays in the military.
While decisions on which articles to publish are made by the journal’s editorial board, located at the defense university, a senior military official said yesterday that the office of Admiral Mike Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman who is the nation’s top military officer, reviewed the article before it was published.
The 1993 “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law was a political compromise reached after much emotional debate based on religion, morality, ethics, psychological rationale, and military necessity. What resulted was a law that has been costly both in personnel and treasure. In an attempt to allow homosexual Servicemembers to serve quietly, a law was created that forces a compromise in integrity, conflicts with the American creed of “equality for all,” places commanders in difficult moral dilemmas, and is ultimately more damaging to the unit cohesion its stated purpose is to preserve. Furthermore, after a careful examination, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly. In fact, the necessarily speculative psychological predictions are that it will not impact combat effectiveness. Additionally, there is sufficient empirical evidence from foreign militaries to anticipate that incorporating homosexuals will introduce leadership challenges, but the challenges will not be insurmountable or affect unit cohesion and combat effectiveness.
I would make a wisecrack about DADT, but methinks I'll refrain. Cute and funny though...
Of all the songs out there to make a parody of, Vanilla Ice's monstrosity is as close to number one as you can get...
Nineteen-year-old Spc. Zachary Boyd of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, was sleeping when the Taliban attacked his unit in Afghanistan's Kunar province. Boyd leapt from his bunk. He grabbed his weapon, pulled on his helmet and vest, and manned his station behind sandbags at Firebase Restropo. He did not stop to pull on trousers.
The boy can wear whatever he likes...he was out saving his friends life, that is what matters.
I was sent this "Statement From Assemblyman Greg Ball On Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach" by Christopher Arnold, Communications Director for Greg Ball for Congress. Now I know nothing about Messrs. Ball or Arnold, nor do I follow New York politics since I live in Virginia. However, I do find this statement intriguing coming from what appears to be a conservative Republican running for state office. Well, from the campaign website he appears to be conservative on fiscal, 2nd Amendment and defense matters at least. No doubt some Southern conservatives would raise an eyebrow at the conservative cred of a New York Republican, but that could be just a regional thing. At any rate, here is the statement:
The recent report of Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, among other less publicized accounts, has made many realize that the current policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” needs to be thoroughly reviewed.
Lt. Col. Fehrenbach has flown numerous combat missions and has been decorated for heroism.
As an Air Force Academy graduate and former ranking member of the New York State Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, I believe strongly that it is time for the current administration to consider putting a moratorium on the current “don't ask, don't tell” policy affecting our military, until its impacts can be thoroughly reviewed.
As a veteran and member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, I will give serious consideration to urging my legislative colleagues to express our shared concerns with the current policy that forces the involuntary discharge of American heroes like Lt. Col Fehrenbach.
Well after seeing this, it all becomes clear to me now...
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Dan Choi Is Gay | ||||
| ||||
In three parts over at Ramble Redhead. Very interesting with Choi telling of his growing up, life at West Point, his service in the US Army over in Iraq, and of course coming out. Well worth listening to and I hope that the good Louie will join the fight against the unjust DADT law with a worthy group of gay vets like Servicemembers United. His voice is certainly a powerful one in this debate and though he is doing well on his own, especially with Knights Out, having others to "guard his back" in the DADT minefield doesn't hurt.
You can find these podcast interviews here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Enjoy!
Spoiler: Choi's first-generation Korean parents were oblivious to his being gay, so much so that when they suspected their older son of being gay they sought his advice on how to "change" him. Ironically the son they thought was gay is actually straight while the "straight" son they sought advice from is gay. Priceless.
UPDATE: On second thought, after exploring the Knights Out website a bit more it appears that Lt. Choi has quite a number of worthy souls guarding his back. Perhaps then his group and others like Servicemembers United can coordinate their efforts to bring DADT to the demise it so richly deserves.
(an edited version of this is also posted over at Gay Patriot)
From 1st Lt. Daniel W. Choi, Infantry officer from the New York Army National Guard:
The Department of the Army sent a letter discharging me on April 23rd. I will not lie to you; the letter is a slap in the face. It is a slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to my soldiers, peers and leaders who have demonstrated that an infantry unit can be professional enough to accept diversity, to accept capable leaders, to accept skilled soldiers.
My subordinates know I’m gay. They don’t care. They are professional.
Further, they are respectable infantrymen who work as a team. Many told me that they respect me even more because I trusted them enough to let them know the truth. Trust is the foundation of unit cohesion.
After I publicly announced that I am gay, I reported for training and led rifle marksmanship. I ordered hundreds of soldiers to fire live rounds and qualify on their weapons. I qualified on my own weapon. I showered after training and slept in an open bay with 40 other infantrymen. I cannot understand the claim that I “negatively affected good order and discipline in the New York Army National Guard.” I refuse to accept this statement as true.
As an infantry officer, I am not accustomed to begging. But I beg you today: Do not fire me. Do not fire me because my soldiers are more than a unit or a fighting force – we are a family and we support each other. We should not learn that honesty and courage leads to punishment and insult. Their professionalism should not be rewarded with losing their leader. I understand if you must fire me, but please do not discredit and insult my soldiers for their professionalism.
When I was commissioned I was told that I serve at the pleasure of the President. I hope I have not displeased anyone by my honesty. I love my job. I want to deploy and continue to serve with the unit I respect and admire. I want to continue to serve our country because of everything it stands for.
Please do not wait to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Please do not fire me.
I still love this song and our Brit friends do pretty good in this (video cuts out after 2 minutes).
If this doesn't make you a lil' misty-eyed, you have a heart of stone. This lieutenant is an inspiration to all of us and I can't say enough about General Petraeus. You have shown your quality, sir.
UPDATE (5-12-09): The automatic playing of the embedded video is driving me nut, especially the same CBS commercial, so I'm removing it and putting up a link to this instead. It is still a fantastic and moving video to see: '60 Minutes': A Remarkable Recovery
h/t - Hot Air
I'm not a fan of MSNBC or Rachel Maddow, but this is a good interview of an outstanding Infantry officer and Iraq War vet, who is now being kicked out for speaking "the three most powerful words".
