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Trusting
People with My Life
The
following was written by an active duty Air
Force officer who has recently returned to
the States after successive tours of duty
overseas.
I am a
senior Air Force Medical Corps officer on
active duty. I am also a man who is
attracted to men. For both these reasons, I
have strong feelings about the military’s
"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy
(DADT).
DADT
is supposed to protect morale, promote unit
cohesion, and enhance combat readiness.
These are important values, especially in
wartime.
I don’t
think DADT protects these core values. In
fact, it undermines them.
The
three military services currently have at
least 65,000 gay and lesbian service
members, according to a recent Urban
Institute analysis. It doesn’t seem to me
that morale, unit cohesion, or mission
readiness are crumbling as a result.
I
personally know many gay and lesbian service
members and have treated many in my
professional military career. If the core
argument of DADT were true, our military
would currently be straining to maintain
morale, unit cohesion and combat readiness,
due to the many gays and lesbians now
serving. That’s not the case.
"Service
before Self, Excellence in All We Do, and
Integrity First" is the motto of the
United States Air Force. My attraction to
men doesn’t nullify or eclipse this credo,
nor does it adversely affect my ability to
support morale, unit cohesion, or combat
readiness.
Military
competence should be the bottom line.
Competence, commitment, and reliability are
a few of the attributes I assess when
looking at morale, cohesion, and combat
readiness in a specific situation. When I
ask the question "Do I want to go down
range with him or her?" the question of
sexual orientation is never on my list.
When
the bullets start flying, I want to know
"Does this person have my back?"
Can I trust this person to do their job so I
can focus on mine and the safety issues at
hand? Are they a good team player? Do they
step up when asked? Are they motivated? Can
I put my life in their hands?
"Can
I put my life in their hands?" That is
the bottom line. Down range, in combat,
everything else is stripped away, and the
sexual orientation of my team members has no
bearing on trusting them with my life.
I want
to remain in the military. I and others like
me want to continue to serve our country. To
make that possible, please repeal DADT.
Active
Duty Officer
Name
Withheld
Due to
DADT
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