The Sun Sets on Oz
Australia began withdrawing its troops from Iraq on Sunday. According to news accounts, “American troops would temporarily take over [Australian] responsibilities.” The question which must be asked is how? American resources are already stretched and the military is having difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified individuals to serve. Waivers are being granted to convicted felons, educational standards are being lowered, involuntary deployments are increasing and the U.S. government is spending more and more money paying sign-on bonuses to entice incoming recruits. Yet military commanders are expanding the responsibilities of American service personnel?
Despite the urgent need for solutions, one simple, common sense approach for increasing the number of qualified, non-violent enlistees is not even being considered because in 1993 Congress passed a law saying the military cannot accept the service of openly lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. With our resources stretched thin, we cannot continue to order commanders to fire personnel simply because of their sexual orientation. It is time to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and allow every patriotic American to serve our country.
As our allies continue leaving Iraq, and the burden of the war falls increasingly onto American shoulders, it is imperative that U.S. military commanders recommend to their civilian leadership that allowing gays to serve is a concrete first step towards assuring we continue to field the best trained military in the world.
Labels: foreign militaries
-----06-03-08
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