By Daniel Thies, KRT Campus As we all know, the winner of this presidential election facessome serious foreign-policy challenges. While juggling theoccupations of Iraq and Afghanistan with the prospect of possiblefuture threats, the next commander in chief will also be forced toaddress the tremendous strain currently on U.S. military forces.
Widespread rumors of an imminent return of the draft have becomethe subject of intense speculation and debate. This week, the Houseof Representatives, seeking to quell these rumors, soundly defeated abill calling for its reinstatement.
Whether such rumors were truly plausible, or simply false, oneimportant point seems to have been lost in the discussion:Reinstatement of the draft can never be justified without firstrepealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, barring openly gaypeople from military service.
While President Bush and Sen. John Kerry have repeatedly assuredvoters they would maintain an all-volunteer military, the nextpresident will have to address the issue of lagging numbers inmilitary personnel. The next administration – in consideringevery alternative to a draft – must work with Congress torepeal the costly and discriminatory “don’t ask” policy.
In the five years between 1998 and 2003, 6,273 military personnelwere expelled for their sexual orientation, according to an analysisby the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military.From the 1993 enactment of “don’t ask” to 2003, the U.S. militaryspent an estimated $218 million recruiting and training replacementsfor discharged gay personnel, according to a Human Rights Watchreport.
With the United States shouldering most of the financial andmilitary burden in Iraq, Bush’s go-it-alone approach to the war hasalienated many traditional allies, and raised legitimate questionsover how to maintain sufficient troop levels.
Earlier this year, the Bush administration enacted a controversialcall-up of 5,600 members of the Individual Ready Reserve – an actionreferred to by critics as a “back door” draft. Many observers areconvinced this president is running out of pre-draft options.
Yet, many able service members, some with sorely needed skills,continue to be discharged from the military for their homosexuality.Most of the 5,600 recalled members of the IRR were needed to fillgaps in highly specialized areas of military service, includingArabic-speaking linguists, combat engineers, medics, paralegals,truck drivers, mechanics and food-service workers.
Bush’s justification for supporting the “don’t ask” policy – whichparallels the Pentagon’s position – is that homosexuality is”incompatible” with military service and is a threat to morale andcohesion in the military ranks. However, the Human Rights Watchreport goes on to state a number of our NATO allies -including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Israel – beganintegrating openly gay service members years ago, with no measurableimpact on military effectiveness.
In reality, the “don’t ask” policy is more about fear andprejudice toward gays. The idea that authorities are considering toinvoluntarily place people into a military service, while turningaway willing, able and otherwise qualified individuals just becauseof their sexual preference, is unreasonable and absurd.
It should go without saying gay men and women are perfectlycapable of taking orders, marching in line, sailing ships, flyingjets, pulling triggers, dropping bombs, serving with courage, valorand anything else the armed services may demand of them. Anybody whohas served honorably in the armed forces deserves the dignity ofwhich so many have been robbed.
While the official position of the current administration remains”no draft” and various experts and skeptical media outlets continueto debunk draft rumors, speculation persists. We have yet to see whatpolicy-changing events or crises may lie ahead.
Though it’s currently unclear whether overturning “don’t ask” willnoticeably augment our military ranks, it would guarantee an end tothe costly losses the military faces by purging its gay personnel.
Before the point is ever again reached where young Americans mustbe called upon to serve involuntarily, we should demand that ourpolicymakers first consider every other option available to them.This must include a policy of nondiscrimination toward gays in themilitary.
It’s time for a change, America. Time to realize our government’sattitude toward gays in the military is irrational andcounterproductive. We must encourage those who will resist to facetheir fears, accept this change – and if nothing else – get used toit.
– Daniel Thies is a columnist for The Seattle Times.
– This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of TheDaily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com.Anonymous letters will not be printed – include your fullname, major and year in school.
