Choosing the Harder Right
By Robert Hill, U.S. Army Lt Col (Ret.)
Our Armed Forces remain the most capable in the world, of which we can be rightfully proud. However, they are already struggling to deal effectively with the pernicious challenges facing them in the 21st century. A significant contributor to this degradation in effectiveness is the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law that prohibits all service men and women from serving both fully and truthfully in our armed forces. That’s why Senator Joseph Lieberman’s bill to repeal DADT is essential to a stronger military and deserves support.
Over the past century, the U.S. military has sometimes been slow to recognize that what matters most on and off the battlefield is the ability to employ the right skills at exactly the right time, not the color of one’s skin or one’s faith or one’s gender…or one’s sexuality. The former has absolutely nothing to do with the latter.
When I entered West Point in the mid-70’s, women had just been granted the right to attend. Upon graduation, I entered an Army still struggling with racial tensions. Despite naysayers, the military undertook the full integration of African-Americans and women and moved forward, becoming stronger, more effective and more reflective of the diverse nation it obligates itself to defend.
Today, warfare is much more complex and nuanced than when I entered the Army in 1978. As challenges become more complex, so too must the individual or agency that addresses them. Most of our allies have already recognized this reality and have adopted policies that allow for the full inclusion of gay men and women. In fact, every member of NATO, which comprises the bulk of forces in Afghanistan, allows gays to serve openly except the U.S. and Turkey. As we send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, we need to keep the most sophisticated and innovative service men and women possible. We can ill afford to cast aside anyone who volunteers such talents, especially at a time such as this.
Throughout my life, I have always been guided by a line I memorized from the West Point Cadet Prayer, “Help me to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be won.”
Repealing DADT is the right thing to do if we are to enable our Armed Forces to remain effective in an increasingly interconnected and dangerous world. By sustaining DADT, we force many of our talented service men and women to live “half truths,” and our military suffers from a forced dishonesty out of keeping with our founding ideals and values.
Some of the service chiefs have testified that now is not a good time to change the policy, but in our hearts we all know that the only time to do the right thing is now. Add your voice to that of Senator Lieberman and Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who see the need to repeal DADT and strengthen our military to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Robert Hill is a retired Army Lt Col and now government civilian from Kansas City. He currently serves on the staff of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Kabul, Afghanistan.
03-05-10 By Robert Hill, U.S. Army Lt Col (Ret.) |
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