Military retaining more gay soldiers
ARTICLE: "Military retaining more gays, Lawyers see growing acceptance in ranks" by Rryan Bender, The Boston Globe, 19 March 2006
The US military allowed at least 36 gay soldiers last year to stay in uniform, despite efforts by their commanders or fellow soldiers to have them discharged under the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy, according to a review of hundreds of cases in which soldiers sought to remain in uniform without denying their homosexuality.
For many years the Pentagon's public position was that the policy was crucial to maintaining ''good order and discipline" and that having gay soldiers serve openly in the ranks would harm unit cohesion.
But recently, the military has stopped defending the policy, and merely notes that it is the law.
The US military allowed at least 36 gay soldiers last year to stay in uniform, despite efforts by their commanders or fellow soldiers to have them discharged under the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy, according to a review of hundreds of cases in which soldiers sought to remain in uniform without denying their homosexuality.
For many years the Pentagon's public position was that the policy was crucial to maintaining ''good order and discipline" and that having gay soldiers serve openly in the ranks would harm unit cohesion.
But recently, the military has stopped defending the policy, and merely notes that it is the law.
posted by Sean @ 10:24 AM
1 Comments:
At 4:57 AM,
Wang said…
are you suprised?
"Military's need to keep more highly trained soldiers in the Iraq War."
well... considering there are 150,000+ soldiers in Iraq and the Pentagon has resorted to offering army soldiers upwards of $15,000 to re-enlist, i'd say they are trying to keep whoever wants to be there. When you are facing possible troop shortfall, of course you are going to start loosening your policy. Commanders aren't stupid.
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