A lot of people who know my background have recently been asking me my opinion concerning the recent repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, which as we all know dealt with gays now being able to serve openly in the military. After all, I did spent 15 years wearing the green suit and another 11 as a Department of Defense civilian.
Even though the President has already signed the legislation, there is still work to be done within the multilayered bureaucracy that makes up the DoD before it will actually take affect. You would think that some of the planners in the Pentagon would have maybe come up with some of the background stuff that would need to be kicked into gear in the event that it actually happened, and I think someone probably did. Still, it will take some time before the new internal policies and procedures are in place before it will be truly safe for gays to openly admit their sexuality while wearing the uniform.
In my time in uniform, I knew more than a few people who were gay and serving. Some of them kept it totally on the down-low, and a person would be hard pressed to guess that the soldier in question was gay. Others I have known, to include a couple of noncommissioned officers, were damn near stating it point blank. My mind wanders back to a staff sergeant I knew on Okinawa who was so flamboyant that you just knew he was gay. He carried himself like a drag queen while wearing BDU’s, called nearly everyone who he was friendly with “Honey”, and practically had “I Like Cock” tattooed on his forehead. A walking stereotype, to be sure. He was also, I might add, a good NCO, a friend, and a superb technician.
Having said all of that, I never had any problems with gays in uniform, and don’t now. We all need someone to love, and all have our own personal attractions as to what we as individuals feel is beauty and what turns us on sexually. Who the hell am I to judge anyone on something as personal as who someone should love? There is an old axiom that says that “there are no atheists in foxholes”, and I think the same can be said about an individual sexuality. When the shit hits the fan, no one cares a damn who or what you happen to lick/suck/fuck when you’re in the privacy of your own bedroom (the exception being those who happen to dig children and furry creatures). By and large, most people just care that you’ll hold up your end and be someone that can be depended upon. Do your duty and take care of your end of the deal. Everything else is just details.
Much like when the military was integrated back in the 50’s, there will be some bumps in the road when this is all said and done. There will be more than a few problems that crop up and will have to be dealt with. For that matter, here we are in The Year of Our Lord 2010 and people are still dealing with racial issues, albeit not so much in the military. In the end, the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” will have much the same affect. A little bit of bullshit in the beginning, but in the end, not that big a deal.
I think in a decade or so, people will look back on DADT and wonder what all the fuss and bother was about.
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