Don't Ask Don't Tell Repealed

Started by Jude, December 18, 2010, 03:22:09 PM

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Funguy81

i say if anyone wants to serve, and has the capability to serve in the military they should serve. whether the that person is straight, gay, bi, or anything else that comes to it. the orientation does not determine the capability as a soldier, its the personality. I have met bad and good soldiers of all orientations in my time in the army. 

To this day i still find it funny the excuse some of the politicians used the excuse that straight male soldiers will find it uncomfortable during guard duty if they share a guard tower with a gay soldier, because the gay soldier might see the straight soldier as a sexual object. Yet it was policy of the army that if a female soldier is on guard duty, a male soldier has to accompany her at all times. I'm sure neither one of them wont see the other as a sexual object in that same situation.

The way i see it, as long as the person performs his job with the skill and dedication of a soldier, i dont care what that person does during his off time.

HockeyGod

Quote from: Funguy81 on January 20, 2011, 08:44:59 PM
Yet it was policy of the army that if a female soldier is on guard duty, a male soldier has to accompany her at all times. I'm sure neither one of them wont see the other as a sexual object in that same situation.

He, he...good point!

Oniya

An excellent point - although there are still a few old bast-ions that disapprove of women in combat regions.  I'm not sure I agree with the statement that a soldier will see an opposite gender soldier in a sexual light, though (had to suss out a double negative there - hope I interpreted you correctly).  I would actually think that in that sort of highly interdependent situation, the rest of the team is seen more as 'teammates' and less as potential bedmates.  Something like the idea of sleeping with your brother or sister.

I'm sure that those who have actually served in mixed-gender settings will probably weigh in on this - I'm only the daughter of one who served, and I'm pretty sure that was before women were allowed in combat units.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Funguy81

actually to be honest, i served in mixed gender units and in all male combat units. while i know i am probably gonna be blasted for this, i kind of hope male combat units stay as they are. i seen so many problems in mixed gender units that i was not even an issue in an all male unit. guys always trying to one up eachother to gain a female soldiers attention, the females playing the helpless damsel that could not lift a box so she works her sexuality to get guys to do her work for her. it distracts people from the mission and adds drama that is not needed. again, that depends on the individual person and i met female soldiers that could do the job better than any male soldier.

just from my personal experiences that as long as the temptation is there, it adds complications. i have no hatred to a female becoming a soldier and more than welcome they join the military. just dont want to add them to a front line combat unit not because they cant do the job if they are capable, but to keep complications to a minimum.

Zeitgeist

I'm not settled on the matter myself, but what ever is done, should be done to make the unit better. Making changes to the makeup of a unit on the basis of fairness only, in my opinion would be foolish. We are not talking about a book club, this is a combat unit.

Women have, and already do serve in combat situations and zones. To suggest they've been left out of the loop or not included, only denigrates the service of those women who have already served.

Oniya

Quote from: Zamdrist of Zeitgeist on January 21, 2011, 08:42:37 AM
Women have, and already do serve in combat situations and zones. To suggest they've been left out of the loop or not included, only denigrates the service of those women who have already served.

I don't think anyone has suggested this.  I only meant to imply that there are some in the military - primarily those that started their service before that was allowed - who haven't come to terms with it, and don't particularly like it.  My father's term of service was prior to gender integration on the front lines, so I don't have any personal anecdotes to go by, but when I was in college, women were already attending places like VMI and West Point (and well entrenched in the latter, based on the dates).
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Zeitgeist

Quote from: Oniya on January 21, 2011, 08:52:29 AM
I don't think anyone has suggested this.  I only meant to imply that there are some in the military - primarily those that started their service before that was allowed - who haven't come to terms with it, and don't particularly like it.  My father's term of service was prior to gender integration on the front lines, so I don't have any personal anecdotes to go by, but when I was in college, women were already attending places like VMI and West Point (and well entrenched in the latter, based on the dates).

Indeed. I would just hate to see the service they've already done brushed aside and not well though of, simply because they don't serve in one particular aspect of the military. God knows serving as a nurse or medic in WWII, Vietnam or other times of conflict was and is just as honorable and substantial as a front line soldier.

Oniya

Quote from: Zamdrist of Zeitgeist on January 21, 2011, 08:56:48 AM
Indeed. I would just hate to see the service they've already done brushed aside and not well though of, simply because they don't serve in one particular aspect of the military. God knows serving as a nurse or medic in WWII, Vietnam or other times of conflict was and is just as honorable and substantial as a front line soldier.

And is also very well established, whereas women serving on the front line is still fairly new.  I personally remember being surprised at the idea of women at VMI (I was in college at MBC when that particular court battle was being fought), although the idea of a woman wanting to join the army as a nurse or medic was barely blinked at by that point, at least by my contemporaries.  People my age and older have seen that particular change go from the 'surprising' to the accepted, and now we are witnessing a similar evolution with respect to DADT.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Zeitgeist

Quote from: Oniya on January 21, 2011, 10:43:00 AM
And is also very well established, whereas women serving on the front line is still fairly new.  I personally remember being surprised at the idea of women at VMI (I was in college at MBC when that particular court battle was being fought), although the idea of a woman wanting to join the army as a nurse or medic was barely blinked at by that point, at least by my contemporaries.  People my age and older have seen that particular change go from the 'surprising' to the accepted, and now we are witnessing a similar evolution with respect to DADT.

Yeah, bringing it back around to DADT, I have to support the idea of allowing, or rather, discarding such regulations from the military so that they can serve if they wish to. Ironically, I think, in the absence of DADT and without a new regulation in place, we are currently at a period prior to DADT which means there is no implied policy of 'we won't ask', if 'you don't tell', and that the UCMJ is in full force.

Republicans and other opponents of this policy I think would be wise to let it go and reserve energies and political capital for more important issues. Our allies have gays in the military, so there shouldn't be any reason why we can't. Choose your battles, choose them wisely.