OPINION:
I was present for the briefing and question-and-answer session about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” given by the Senior Leaders Panel in Stuttgart, Germany, in August. I was completely appalled at how the Department of Defense is looking at overturning this policy (“New gay Army,” Comment & Analysis, Sept. 17). The entire time I heard them allude to “when this policy changes.”
The questions our senior leaders should be asking are: 1) How many soldiers is repeal really going to affect? 2) Dependent upon that number, should we press forward with a policy change?
If the answer is yes, then we should look at why we are changing the policy. Homosexuals can already serve their country. They can be soldiers just like the rest of us, and when they get off work, they can engage in homosexual relationships. (It’s happening right now). I find it problematic when advocates from the general public say it isn’t fair that they can’t be openly homosexual. My response is, why does it matter? I don’t walk around work and talk about my heterosexual behavior, and homosexuals don’t need to be doing it either. That is personal business and has no place in the workplace or on the battlefield.
If the answer to the question about repeal is no, then we should stop now. Why spend this much time, effort and resources on something that doesn’t affect that many people or change the fact that even if “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed, most homosexuals won’t even come out.
I have deployed to Iraq three times (2004, 2005 and 2009), and I can tell you right now, this is the last thing we need to be worrying about as America’s fighting force. We should not be blowing money and resources on changing something that will have multiple second- and third-order effects and not make our readiness better.
The end result has to make sure our armed forces are ready to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. Does changing this policy make us more prepared to do this, or does it create a hindrance to our readiness and take our attention off our real goals and objectives?
The fact that I am a Christian has nothing to do with the bold-faced facts above that our senior leaders are not looking at. Again, our question should not be about how we can make this policy change or how much money it will take to change it. Our question should be, does it affect enough service members to justify the amount of time and money that it is going to take to make the change, and will this policy change help our readiness?
STERLING N. CROFT
Chief warrant officer two
Special Operations Command Europe
Stuttgart, Germany
Please read our comment policy before commenting.