Firing Line - Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

(original letter The Firing Line - Opinion)

While it’s great that Mr. Hammond respects our military leaders, he forgets one thing; they are still human and susceptible to their own bias and ignorance.

The argument that being gay inherently detracts from military standards is false. As a Marine, my core values are Honor, Courage, and Commitment. While on active duty I held those values very close to my heart, and still do today. Sexuality does not keep someone from being a good Marine or Soldier, as many other countries have discovered. It certainly did not prohibit me from being the best Marine I could be.

The problem comes in when people let their own bias change how they treat someone else. The problems that came in the fleet were due to my own lack of interest in stroking the male egos of my unit, not in an inability to do my job. To say this problem is the fault of someone who is gay is taking the blame off the shoulders of those with the problem, and placing it elsewhere. Sexuality does not prevent a person from pulling a trigger or changing a tire.

The military has always fought social change. When minorities were introduced, there was resistance. When women were allowed to be more than nurses, people resisted. But today, few people blink an eye to the racial diversity in the military, or to the amount of women in increasingly physical roles. The majority of military members have seen women and minorities prove themselves in training and day to day work.

Gays are already serving in the military, throughout all MOS’s. However, “don’t ask, don’t tell” requires silence, taking away the chance for education and tolerance, if not acceptance. No policy will ever keep homosexuals out of the military. We’ve served throughout time, and will continue to serve if we choose to, because in the end we’re all Americans, just like heterosexuals. Sexuality does not remove patriotism, and the desire to fight for freedom. The fact that we fight for freedoms that we aren’t given ourselves should speak loudly of the commitment of gays in the military. Honor, Courage, and Commitment are the core values I learned in the Marine Corps, and I will hold them for my entire life. Everyone is allowed to have their opinions of gays, women, and minorities in the military, but no one can take away the fact that I became a Marine, and will remain a Marine until the day I die.

There will be some issues that come up when gays are allowed to serve openly, but it won’t last long in the grand scheme of things. Those who have never known a gay person will see there is no threat to their own sexuality. People are still people, their sexuality is only a fraction of who they are. And in the end, sexuality doesn’t prevent anyone from doing their job. Last time I checked, there were no MOS’s that required someone to be physically intimate with anyone else. Thus sexuality shouldn’t be an issue.

Jackie L Meyer
Physics Graduate Student
Lcpl, US Marine Corps