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While flying my helicopter over the Iraqi desert four years ago, I thought a lot about the state of our military and about the many decisions our government had made in recent years. One policy that I found particularly frustrating is Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT), which prohibits gays and lesbians who openly declare their sexual orientation from serving in the military. With three closeted gay soldiers in my Company and several more in my Battalion, I wondered why our government continued to condone a policy of discrimination. Four years later I am still left wondering.
Some claim that allowing gays to serve openly in the military would hurt military readiness. Reminiscent of an argument we heard 60 years ago that banning racial segregation in the military would impact readiness, this new claim has no statistical support. In fact, studies on gays in the military in Australia, Great Britain, Israel and Canada have shown integration to be a non-event. Here is the plain and simple truth: when soldiers are in the middle of a war zone, they don't care whether the guy or girl next to them is gay or straight. They care only about whether the other soldier is good at his or her job.
Additionally, more and more top generals are arguing to repeal DADT. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili, one of the initial proponents of the policy, has reversed course in the last 18 months and has stated that it is one of the policies he is most ashamed about.
Other senior officers have also come to acknowledge that DADT is bad policy. This is because DADT actually hurts readiness. The Pentagon has discharged over 12,500 service members since the law was implemented in 1994. Even more appalling, the Pentagon has discharged nearly 800 mission critical troops because of their sexual orientation, including Arabic linguists, medics, pilots and intelligence analysts. At a time when military recruiters are straining to attract new forces, does it make sense to turn away talented individuals who are willing to serve?
As a soldier who served his country in Iraq and spent nine years in the military, I am frustrated that our lawmakers still allow DADT to discriminate against men and women in uniform. here is no other law in the United States that mandates an employer to fire someone for being gay. In fact, no other modern democracy has such a policy (but there are many authoritarian states that do, including Iran). Why do we continue to tolerate this discriminatory law?
There are an estimated 65,000 gay Americans currently serving in the military and over one million gay veterans in the United States. We need to do more to honor their service. It's time for us to respect them enough as human beings to give them equal protection under the law. Call your Congressional Representative and ask for an end to this discriminatory policy.
Joe Lopez-Gallego is a former U.S. Army Captain and a Member of HLS Lambda
My wife's father is hessaby as in www.hessaby.com (they stole his cash and put it there) and my mother-in-law family is related by marriage tot the Pakravans., who headed the SAVAKPan Am was nicknamed PanIran as the Shah's family was the largest shareholder. I have extreme amount of details of exactly was going on
from the Iranians wanting him to return their assets to other coup attempts to 6 months before the Shah son pretended he was bankrupt in a public trial, to my wifes relative coming to our house talking about the coup and we did not know they were in Washington DC, to the Iran Contra hearings trial that was going to start Feb 20 th, 1989 to the tipping of the coup to the Iranian govt, ,to something in writing I can prove the coup to the Salamon Rushtie Feb 14th insult to islam to get the people on the street to avoid the coup to the Iranian govt announcement of a coup by 'dissent mullahs' announced at the time to the negiotations between the Bush people involved pretending they were going to make a deal to the 'nice' stories plant in US newspapers at the time (including the Post) as part of the negotation to the fact the bomb had to placed out of London based on the flight path as I worked at USAir at the time creating the flight plans for the 'planes to fly themselves' to overt CIA agents around me at the time to the fact that Bollier, the guy who made the timer for the bomb's wide was IRANIAN and the Libyans told me and said they were not allowed to say... there were 3 witness only.. the main one was trashed.. Bollier and a guy whom said he soldm the Libyan a suitcase in Malta.. hence, one the suitcase guy would be left.. the Libyans did not put up a defence in exchange for evidence to trash the main witness on the stand to what an overt CIA agent told me in the US 4 years later.. etc. etc and the details of several coups to the new World bank (my wie's cousin involved who used to work at the work bank)and US loans starting May 1990 to Iran to the fact that PANAm was shut down 18 months later as they thought it would be targeted again because of the Shah connection (the US airlines go in and out of bankruptcy all the time - this was the one of the first US airlines - an ICON) etc
I also know where the Iranian govt officials have money in the US, Canada and UK; the back door dealing etccall me for details.. Barry Lanza 00 44 1786831554.. My father-in-law was a convicted spy given amnesty