Three young gay adults were turned away from a military recruitment office because they are openly gay. The young people were part of a nationwide challenge of the military's 13 year old "don't ask, don't tell" policy. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
The response they got, they said, was a courteous - but definite - no.
"They said we were morally and administratively ineligible for the U.S. military," said Jarrett Lucas, 20, of South Philadelphia, a recent Drexel University engineering student.
"They were very courteous, but they said that if we were truly interested in enlisting we'd have to conceal our sexual identities," Lucas added.
Lucas, joined by Shane Bagwell, 18, a high school graduate from Wyndmoor in Montgomery County, and Marissa Cotroneo, 19, an aspiring psychology major from Scranton, spent about an hour talking with Army recruiters and taking a practice qualifying test before leaving part of an Army of none.
If they were truly interested in serving our country, they would have to lie. After all, its a frequent practice of the Commander in Chief and his loyal ass-kissers.
Of course, the recruiters were just following policy. How is advising a potential recruit to conceal their sexual orientation noble or ethical --- its just about meeting your individual recruitment goals.
From 365gay.com
For the past two years the military has been unable to meet its recruiting goals. Since 1993, the Department of Defense has discharged more than 11,000 service members under ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell?.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), more than 800 of those service members were trained in skills deemed ?mission-critical? by the Pentagon.
In June the military was forced to apologize when it was revealed that a a Pentagon document listing various "disorders" included the reference to homosexuality decades after mental health experts abandoned that position.
A bi-partisan coalition in Congress now supports legislation to repeal the ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell? law.
The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1059), introduced in March 2005 by Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA) now has about 120 supporters, including five Republican lawmakers. Meehan?s legislation would repeal the military?s ban and allow lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel to serve openly in the armed forces.
