Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

Another Veteran Speaks Out

I am a former member of the armed forces who served with distinction in Vietnam, having received, among other acknowledgments of service, a bronze star. I am also a gay man who resents having the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declare that I have morals that are inconsistent with the standards of service to my country. If General Pace were to make such an outrageous statement as a senior executive in a large corporation, he would be instantly shown the door. The appropriate "moral" action within the armed services would be exactly the same. General Pace should be fired. Since there is little likelihood that this will happen under our current administration, I hope that General Pace, and those who serve under him, will use the uproar caused by his comments to open his mind and become more familiar with the reality of being gay generally, and the unnecessary strain to productivity and military service resulting from the Department of Defense's "Don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy. In my days of military service, I believe these were known as "after action reports." Such an assessment is clearly appropriate here. Following are some points that General Pace should consider: Many individuals who have been educated and live within a conservative environment such as that of a Marine commander have had little opportunity to interact with openly gay or lesbian individuals. Those who do are quite likely to discover that our daily lives are very similar to those of our heterosexual counterparts. I would encourage him to take the time to meet a gay civilian whose career has been similarly successful to the General's military career. In my experience, and in the overwhelming majority of my gay and lesbian friends, being gay is not a matter of choice. I grew up in a family where issues relating to gay civil rights were never discussed. As I matured and slowly came to acknowledge that I was gay, I realized that I would not follow the same paths as that of my parents and siblings, and it took a good deal of adaptation. Much has become possible that was not when I was younger, but being gay still creates sometimes seemingly insurmountable barriers to equal opportunities within the organizations for which I have been employed, including the US Army. The general should open his mind to some of those barriers. It has been my experience in discussing gay civil rights with those who have spent little time thinking about such issues but are open to learning, that they have a moment of recognition when they are asked when they first "discovered" they are heterosexual. Most heterosexual people I know never make that decision a conscience one. It just evolves as they mature. When asked, "When did you discover that you are straight?" most people have difficulty getting their thoughts around such a concept. Nearly all gay and lesbian people have gone through that process. The General should reflect on how much different a view that creates. Finally, the General should examine how much harm has been done by the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. There is no evidence that I am aware of that shows the benefit of removing qualified servicemembers from military service. Much evidence exists, however, to the contrary. Why, for instance, should American taxpayers be called upon to recruit and train new servicemembers who are currently qualified and performing well in their military service specialty? The frequently cited example is the Arabic linguists. The truth is that examples can be found throughout the service. In addition to the losses resulting from mustering out of service those individuals who are highly qualified and performing well, there are the intangible losses that come from asking people to hide their personal lives or suppress their sexuality in the course of earning a living. The General's posted resume on the Joint Chief's web site shows that he is married and has two grown children. He should reflect on how many times during the course of a normal day he "asserts" his heterosexuality at work. He probably wears a wedding ring, talks about things he did at home over the weekend, antics of his grandchildren, etc. Imagine a world where all of that had to be sacrificed just to serve in the military. How can an individual focus on his or her job if one has to deny the natural instinct to develop family relationships, or, if they have formed a family, having carefully to deny that it exists? I hope that General Pace will reflect on the injury his unkind words have caused to so many people who are now serving and who have served with distinction in the past. He has not yet indicated that an apology is in order. Since an apology is not likely, I hope instead that he will use this event to learn. Sincerely, Joe Barrows

Labels: in the news, Pace, veterans, your letters

03-16-07