Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

AP writers Bradley Brooks and Russ Bynum report on a recent move by Army commanders to accommodate married couples who are serving together in Iraq. The program which was launched in May 2006 allows married couples at Camp Striker, located on the outskirts of Baghdad, to share trailers with their spouses. This historic, but little-noticed change in policy, represents an attempt by Army commanders to address personnel needs in an effort to keep trained service members from leaving the military. "I think they are looking under the sofa cushions for anything they can do to improve retention. They spend a lot of money getting these people trained up," said John Pike, director of the military think tank Globalsecurity.org. This raises the obvious question – if the U.S. Army is interested in looking for creative ways of retaining service members, doesn’t it make more sense to call on Congress for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?” The Army’s new marriage initiative would affect nearly 10,000 couples (20,000 soldiers) while repeal of DADT would impact the lives of more than 65,000 service members and over one million veterans. According to Command Maj. Mark Thornton of the 3rd Infantry, "It's [the marriage initiative] better for the soldiers, which means overall it's better for the Army." SLDN couldn’t agree more! Gay Americans in uniform deserve more from our government than the stark choice between service to country and a life of integrity. Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will make a career in the military a far more palatable option for the nearly four thousand soldiers who leave the service rather than continue to live in silence. -Aubrey Sarvis