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Gays and the Military

By Barry Romo

Barry Romo
National coordinator

SOUND FAMILIAR?

"Men on-board ship lives in particularly close association; in their messes, one man sits beside another; their bunks are close together; in their common tasks they work side by side;...they form a closely knit, highly coordinated team..How many would accept such conditions if required to do so, without resentment and just as a matter of course?" "few if any." Department of the Navy, 1942.

"The presence of (Homosexuals) adversely affects the ability of the military services to maintain discipline, good order and morals; to foster mutual trust and confidence...to facilitate assignment and worldwide deployment of service members who frequently must live and work under close conditions affording minimal privacy." Department of Defense, 1982.

The finding that Blacks could not live with Whites in close quarters appears suspiciously close to the finding that Heterosexuals and Homosexuals cannot live side by side.

The irony is that an Afro-American Chairman is pushing the same policy that would have denied him advancement and promotion in WWII.

General Powell doesn't like the comparison. I don't blame him. He advanced because others, like General of the Armies George Marshall, fought for human justice in this instance. The struggle for Civil Rights, voting, etc. magnified and grew. Powell benefitted from others' sacrifices, not from his own driving ambition or competence. Now that it's his turn to push the clock forward, he stalls. He complains. He whines just like the white segregationist, Strom Thurmond, standing at his side.

Unfortunately for Powell and the rest, one has but to read the only two studies commissioned by the Military: The Navy's Crittenden Report of 1957 and the Army's "Nonconforming Sexual Orientations and Military Suitability," December 1988. MILITARY STUDIES AND EXPERIENCE SAY LIFT THE BAN. Both reports recommend the lifting of the ban on homosexuals serving in the military. One can also look to Israel, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden to see if their military prowess has suffered.

HOMOSEXUALS HAVE ALWAYS DIED ALONGSIDE HETEROSEXUALS

Most important is the fact conceded by all that up to 10% of the present military is homosexual. Such personnel are already living side by side with heterosexual service members.

Gays have been in the U.S. military from the beginning. It is generally conceded that Alexander Hamilton, an office in the Continental Army and aide-de-camp to General Washington, was gay (sexually explicit love letter to and from other men were found in his personal effects). Probably 10% of the soldiers whose names are engraved on the Vietnam Memorial were gay.

TO THE BRASS: TREAT PEOPLE EQUALLY, OR GET OUT

I find the posturing of the Generals and Admirals amusing. When I was a platoon leader in Vietnam I wasn't given consideration for my personal wants and needs. I was told what to do when to do it. Screw their schoolboy rhetoric and predictions of doom. If they aren't men or women enough to deal with other races, or sexes then, maybe some time on the 'outside' will be good for them.

Women in the military have to put up with sexual innuendo, harassment, the threat of rape (as recent events have shown), and treatment as second class soldiers/sailors. Yet they perform all tasks in an outstanding manner. I think the brass could learn a few lessons from them. There are bigger things to worry about in the military than whether someone is lusting after your buns!

UCMJ DOESN'T APPLY TO SEXUALLY JITTERY BRASS

When more than two dozen service members thought the Gulf War unjust and immoral, the were jailed for demanding and expressing their rights.

Now highly paid officers think they can speak out against the Commander-in-Chief. If Clinton had any guts, he would order them to shut up or go to jail, just like the poor doggies.

STEROTYPES BUILD A USEFUL MILITARY..FOR THE RICH

Of course, the problem with the brass is not just that they are sexist or racist. The military is a Death Machine. It exists primarily to kill anyone or destroy anything the rich are afraid of. Boys and girls are encouraged to participate in this endeavor by the feelings of superiority they are allowed over a constantly dehumanized enemy. The enemy becomes the other: the "Gook," "Indian," "Nigger," "Camel Jockey," ad nauseam. It's only later, after leaving the service, that many veterans realize this: To the rich, they were included in those categories.

After a tour in 'Nam, I can't figure out why anyone would want to go into the service. However, I do know that keeping people out because of who they are is wrong.