Former Troops Speak Out Against "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

AP CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Groups that support the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays will bring their story to North Carolina's largest city.

The Human Rights Campaign and Servicemembers United are sponsoring a public town hall discussion at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Charlotte public library on North Tryon Street.

Among those who will speak are Jarrod Chlapowski, a former U.S. Army Korean linguist who decided not to re-enlist because of the policy; Alex Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United who was discharged from the Army under the policy; and Julianne Sohn, who was forced to resign her commission under the policy.

A bill to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" was introduced earlier this year in the U.S. House.

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Comments

[DrDichotomy]

To quote Bill Hicks (a prophet):

" I dunno how you all feel about it, gays in the military. Here's how I feel about it. Anyone dumb enough to want to be in the military should be allowed in. End of f***ing story." "...is that a village of children and kids? Where’s the napalm? (explosion) I don’t want any gay people hanging around me when I’m killing women and kids. I just don’t wanna see it!”

A quote from Jesus (popular guy):

"Turn the other cheek."

(forgot to include Bill's name)

[DrDichotomy]

Men and Hugh are the same. Ugh I wish I could delete/edit here.

[roblabrousse]

Time to expose the religious right's interference in the Military. We all know Rumsfeld commingled military photos and biblical quotes embellish the covers of reports sent to Bush. Bush was guided by God to run for president.We've seen coverage of mega Evangelical meetings on bases in Iraq. Christian soldiers tried to disperse over 500 Christian prayer books to Iraqis recently. Totally against military regulations.They knew it. A US tank had a Christian Crusade message painted in Arabic on it's front as it blasted it's way through a town in Iraq. Bush called our mission in Iraq a crusade against terrorists.Erik Prince owner of Blackwater called himself a Christian crusader bent on wiping out Muslims from the face of the earth. Nice for a guy who was once in charge of security in Iraq. .
The real threat to military integrity and safety is the infiltration of Evangelicals taking over Military policy making. This is not a screwball observation 'Mega churches are slated for construction on military bases. One fervent congressman, member of The Family has supported this construction. The Family believes in a Christian world order.

The Military and it's religious element keeps DADT alive. These hypocrites are undermining the Constitution. They are the perverse ones getting into bed with religion . They are compromising our national security and undermining the Constitution.

[DrDichotomy]

" I dunno how you all feel about it, gays in the military. Here's how I feel about it. Anyone dumb enough to want to be in the military should be allowed in. End of f***ing story." "...is that a village of children and kids? Where’s the napalm? (explosion) I don’t want any gay people hanging around me when I’m killing women and kids. I just don’t wanna see it!”

A quote from Jesus (popular guy):

"Turn the other cheek."

[Hugh Jazzel]

" I dunno how you all feel about it, gays in the military. Here's how I feel about it. Anyone dumb enough to want to be in the military should be allowed in. End of f***ing story." "...is that a village of children and kids? Where’s the napalm? (explosion) I don’t want any gay people hanging around me when I’m killing women and kids. I just don’t wanna see it!”

A quote from Jesus (popular guy):

"Turn the other cheek."

[JIzin]

OMG! There are gay people in the USA!
And they serve our country in the military services??
That's it! The world is ending!
LoL
Let gays serve openly. They are able to control themselves just as opposite-sex-seekers do when in the military. There are rules in place already about fraternization between service members.

[peterbeagle]

well of course! there have been gays in the military, and in every other field, since the beginning of time. Why did this ever become such a big deal?

[MSNichols]

Exactly, ask the Spartans or Alexander the Great.

[baghdaddy4986]

To all of you who have never served a day in the military yet insist on using it as a vehicle for your agenda, sorry. The bottom line is that no Soldier will be able to take commands from a man that has sex with other men. The "leader" will simply not be taken seriously. Yes, I know that is outrageous and not PC but it is a simple truth. Those who serve or have served know full well how Soldiers feel about this issue at the lower levels. They don't want this. Sure, some of our allies allow this policy. That is a luxury they have. The US Army is the only force in the free world that can fight and win. The NATO allies are, at best, our auxillary forces and are never expected to bear much of the burden. That is the great unspoken reality of NATO. They get to do social experimentation, grow beards, and form Soldier unions. We get to train and maintain a disciplined and professional military.

[Paulo1]

Comedy is on a different blog Baghdaddy.

You post is excellent comedy, very nice uber nationalism but lousy facts.

[Scott3843]

Ummm...

Soldiers HAVE and CONTINUE to take commands from men and women who have sex with members of the same sex. It just wasn't spoken of until these past decades. Homosexuality in the military is not a new thing put in place just to p*ss you off. The hypocrisy of recognizing and honoring an individual's professional abilities yet discriminating against that same individual for who they decide to sleep with is what's important here. These gay servicemembers have served honorably. They're not the ones with the problem. The dimwitted soldiers who refuse to work with gay soldiers are the ones who should be discharged for not following orders and for upsetting the ranks. Do your job. Take your orders from your superiors. Period. Sexuality is completely irrelevant.

[baghdaddy4986]

I'm telling you the reality of what will happen. I know you don't want to hear it because it doesn't fit the agenda. Joe in the motor pool surely takes orders from gay superiors right now, no question. I'm telling you that if the gay leader is out, Joe will not take him seriously as a man. He will be ridiculed and marginalized. Is that morally right? Of course not, but that is what will happen. The result of this is decreased readiness, morale and discipline in the unit. That's real talk. Deal with that. Actually, you don't have to deal with that. Those of us who defend the nation will be left to deal with the fallout of your agenda. The Army has enough problems trying to fix itself after the disaster of Iraq and the crime spree of the last 8 years. Leave the Army alone!

[ifihadahammer]

Strange that you can speak for all soldiers, but these soldiers can't speak for all soldiers. Fancy that, soldier.

Your prejudice, however strong it may be, does not make any difference here. It is clear that you're not a very good soldier if you can't follow orders depending on where those orders come from. Perhaps you shouldn't be in the military.

This is America. And if America can't have armed forces that abide by the Constitution - which demands equality and which the armed forces are commanded to defend - then we don't need any armed forces. Plain and simple.

[baghdaddy4986]

What do you know about being a good Soldier? The radical gay agenda is just as damaging to the military as the oppresive bible thumpers that are so prevalent, particularly in the officer corps. Both the left and right think the military is a great petrie dish where all wrongs can be righted. The Army exists to take and hold ground and kill the nation's enemies. Everything else we do are just side issues. The bottom line is that a Soldier will follow all orders given him, no matter the source. The problem is the destruction that will cause to unit cohesiveness. If Joe thinks his squad leader just had a **** in his mouth the night before, he will not respect him. Again, not PC but it is the ground truth.

[MSNichols]

Stop projecting your shortcomings and prejudices on the rest of the military.

I personally have dozens of straight men and women that do EXACTLY what I tell them to do on a daily basis with no issue. This is course is in business environment but I believe our soldiers are much more openminded than you.

What are you? 80? The world is a changing old man. If you are younger than that, you need to open your mind.

[baghdaddy4986]

If you bothered to read the previous posts you would have seen that I clearly state that this behavior is not morally correct. My point is that it will happen anyway. I'm merely explaining the facts of military life to you civilians who have never served but come up with these great ideas on how to fix the military. There isn't as much of a generational difference in the military as those promoting your agenda would like to believe.

[Turtleposer]

I get a kick out of those who don't want gays in the military & don't want to share close quarters with them. LOL. The whole point of DODT is that gays are already in the military - gays are just supposed to hide it. So you really don't know if your bunkmate has a crush on you, do you? Kinda makes you wonder . . . . .

[MRb1000]

Hey it is the truth! It is time to be honest about the whole thing. This is what it is all about! Like I stated many times, if you can get by this problem then we would not be talking about DODT!

[MSNichols]

You have spent a great deal of time ranting about this over the past day.

I suspect you are WAY to old to be spending this much time worrying about DADT.

Drink your juice, the medicines in there.

[One more Thing]

Thank you for serving our country. Good luck troopers!

[RJC]

The oppositon to allowing gays to serve openly comes from religion adherents. Our allies have had openly serving gays for decades. Using the argument we are the best military in the world so why would we change is completely off base. The reason we are the only superpower is because we spend more on the military than the rest of the world combined, not because individually the American soldier is somehow intrinsically superior to those of other nations. This attitude again displays the arrogance, the hubris, and the damaging theory of "American Exceptionalism". This narcisistic theory is why we are disliked by so many around the world, and rightfully so. The real reason for the widesread opposition to gays in the military is the same reason almost all human progress has been hindered throughout history; the delusional belief in a magical, imaginary supreme being. The influence of religion on the military, contary to policy and law, is pervasive, kept below the radar, but should be rooted out. BTW, I am retired US military.

[jerryfromcalifornia]

I was USAF and religious infulence was way over the top.
jerry belairca

[JackNasty]

Isn't it peculiar that no one who has initiated charges against gay men and women in the military under the provisions of Don't Ask Don't Tell has been prosecuted for asking?

The law works only one way. Its only purpose is to provide legal cover for irrational, anti-gay discrimination. It runs counter to our nation's interest in national security and it needs to go now.

[Wallysmom]

If they are willing to die for you and with you, who cares about their sex lives?

[CigarGod]

Have a cigar.

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

ding ding ding ding ladies and gentlemen we have a winner.

[Artemis34]

Many of the comments about “bad timing” and “priorities” get at the point of how much political capital the president and member of congress will have to expend to repeal DADT. And if they have to spend a lot, how much will be left for other initiative.

I have a proposal:

1) The commander in chief can have the military testify before congress that they MUST have DADT repealed in order to accomplish our military goals.

Many in the military already agree with this position. And those that do not should have no problem keeping their mouths shut since they had no problem lying for B u s h.

Just to strengthen the case, the president can have the GAO testify again what an unproductive waste of money DADT is.

2) Then vote on the repeal of DADT. Members of congress and the president can say “We had to support the military.”

They have already taken a great step in this direction asking Rep. Murphy to lead the charge. As a veteran, his knowledge of military matters will not be successfully challenged.

No political capital spent.

Everybody wins.

[CAHertzfe]

I honestly believe your proposal is what is actually happening. It's the game plan Obama's admin has put in motion. He's playing chess and everyone else is playing checkers. The guy is smart. He's playing chess with the Bush admin situation. You'll see.

[MRb1000]

I posted that a straight man will never be force to sleep in the same room with a gay man and you all got so mad that you cannot deal with with the real problem! It is an intimate issue! It is not about being insecure about ones sexuality, it is about being force to live with a person! Then female should be forced to live with men. Now, you can get mad all you want, but gay men will not be able to sleep in the same room with straight men without a big problem! You all know I am telling the truth! Please do not compare this to race, gender or color! We are talking about an intimate issue.

This issue will trigger all sort of legal issue in the military!

Hey, you need to have a way to get around this issue or you will lose!

[Artemis34]

You cannot deal with it.

Our troops don't have a problem. You have a problem.

It is not an issue now. Has not been an issue in any of the many countries that allow gays to serve openly.

In the military, you are always subject to living with whomever they say. That is part of your duty.

Obviously, you are not a veteran or you would already know this is not an issue.

[MRb1000]

I serve twenty years in the military. I knew people who were gay. I did not ask and they did not tell! So you have the problem I do not! You never live in close quarters with other people! You are so funny saying I'm not a veteran. I been retired for a long time! Hey been there done that and would do it again!

IT IS AN INTIMATE ISSUE! LOL

[wijg]

You have some serious issues. Get some help.

[MikaS]

By the way, straight service members already sleep in the same rooms as gay service members.
My father is a Vietnam veteran and he supports the rights of our gay and lesbian service members and we're from OK.

[wijg]

You make a good point. MRb1ooo obviously doesn't realize that there are gay men sleeping in close proximity to straight men as we speak.

[Northwest02]

Unless you have never slept with a group of men at any time in your life, like going hunting, fishing, living in a frat house or barracks, how do you know you have never slept with a gay man? What do you look for? My guess is that you have been with more gay men than you know and nothing bad really happened to you. Stop fearing things that aren't there.

[UncleJimbo]

And Wh!te Troops will NEVER sleep in the same room with Bl@ck Troops! Grow Up!

[Artemis34]

Rep. Inslee wrote me in May 2005

"I was alarmed to learn of the Government Accountability Office report findings that the U.S. military, in enforcing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, has let go of nearly 10,000 service members at an estimated cost of approximately $100 million. Many of those service members held critical occupations, including skills in important foreign languages such as Arabic, Farsi and Korean. "

I wish I had a copy of the GAO report. If anyone does, please share a link.

We're wasting money we DON’T have and kicking out people we DO need!

[MRb1000]

You would go crazy to know how many the let go because of their weight! They all broke the law! Do not ask and do not tell. They told so they got discharged!

[Artemis34]

And yet they don't prosecute those who violate "Don't Ask"

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

Yet the military allows felons and the mentally retarded. I wonder which of those groups you belong to.

[Artemis34]

The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) is a matter of national security.

We need ALL hands on deck to fight wars on two fronts with little allied support. We’re so desperate for fighting men and women that we’ve instituted an illegal draft called “stop loss” that punished those who have already served.

We have been discharging people with key skill such as translators.
As Jon Stewart said "You can't torture people into speaking English!"

The fact that we don’t see prosecutions under the “Don’t Ask” provision shows this law was not just motivated by bias but also implemented with bias.

This is already a bill to repeal DADT:
The Military Readiness Enhancement Act H.R. 1283
http://www.hrc.org/laws_and_elections/5659.htm

There are already HR 1283 sponsors:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR01283:@@@P

About “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
http://www.sldn.org/pages/about-dadt

Top 10 Reasons to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
http://www.sldn.org/pages/top-10-reasons-to-repeal-dont-ask-dont-tell

"73% of the troops said they were comfortable working around gays and lesbians"
http://servicemembersunited.org/?cat=11

The Commander-in-Chief’s authority to halt discharges
http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/releases/New+Study+Says+Obama+Can+Halt+Gay+Discharges+With+Executive+Order