A force divided - Air Force Community - Air Force Times

A force divided

The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuals in the military has been controversial since it became law in 1993. Gays and lesbians have served their nation admirably since the days of the Continental Army. However, the current law and the Defense Department policies that implement it were founded on the assumption that gays in the ranks would be detrimental to unit morale, unit cohesion and combat readiness.

Yet, according to a December 2006 Zogby International poll of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, 23 percent say they know for certain there are gays in their unit, 45 percent suspect there are gays in their unit, and 73 percent are personally comfortable working with gay peers. Good order and discipline are maintained by a Uniform Code of Military Justice that includes sections on disruptive sexual behavior, and unit cohesion is something that is created by leaders, not by laws or politicians.

Let’s call a brief timeout on assumptions and look at facts. More than 65,000 gay and lesbian Americans likely are serving on active duty or in the Guard or reserves, according to a study by the Urban Institute. Nearly 12,000 gay and lesbian troops have been summarily discharged by this law at a cost in excess of $360 million, according to a blue-ribbon panel commissioned by the Michael D. Palm Center, a research institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Recent polls have found the majority of the nation’s population and the majority of active-duty personnel believe that these men and women should be allowed to serve openly, as do 140 U.S. representatives. Recently, 28 retired flag officers signed a letter to Congress voicing their agreement with former Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, who has called for repeal of the law; similarly, Army Gen. Colin Powell has described the law as a “discriminatory policy” and “prejudicial.” According to a study by UCLA’s Williams Institute, 3,500 gay and lesbian service members voluntarily leave the service each year, and another 600 to 700 service members are summarily kicked out under the policy.

To serve their country, they must lie

Our Air Force is functioning extremely well and continues to be the finest in the world. There is simply no factual evidence that the presence of gay airmen is degrading unit morale, unit cohesion or combat readiness. Under “don’t ask, don’t tell,” an environment now exists in which a patriotic American who wants to serve his country must lie, blatantly or by omission, and violate the most sacred of the Air Force core values — integrity. The policy requires a discharge of top-performing airmen on the basis of who they are and not for any behavioral misconduct or substandard performance.

The great success of our Air Force has come in large part from its focus on teaching and putting into practice leadership skills and in developing and mentoring leaders from within. From the 1960s through 1990 — in pulling our forces out of the dismal days of bigotry — we learned that our greatest strength came from racial, cultural, social and religious diversity. We recognized that amalgamated differences led to a strongly bonded force. We learned, we led, we changed and we passed our knowledge on to those who followed.

I was heartened to read these words of Chief Master Sgt. Rodney McKinley, chief master sergeant of the Air Force: “We have no room for discrimination or racism of any kind in our Air Force. Every airman should have an equal opportunity to be successful.” I strongly agree with him and add that gay and lesbian airmen must have that same opportunity.

I know that today’s Air Force leaders are well-prepared for the demise of this form of discrimination. Any leader who must still label and discriminate must spend time in self-reflection as to why that is so. We should never presuppose the opportunity to select those we lead based upon our own biases. To wear the chevrons of a leader, you must motivate, inspire and lead dedicated men and women of every kind.

The real challenge is to bring an end to this injustice and to develop policies and practices that eliminate our propensity to divide, label and discriminate beyond anything other than individual performance. Gay and lesbian airmen are proudly serving their country in this time of war.

Let us allow them to do so with the same honor and dignity we afford to all our Air Force personnel.