Military needs to change policies

The U.S. military upholds an honor code that states a soldier “will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do.”

Simultaneously, our government enforces the “Don't ask, don't tell” (DADT) policy in which an openly gay soldier is deemed “an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.” This hypocrisy prevents soldiers from being truthful with their unit and has led to the dismissal of more than 13,000 qualified soldiers since 1993. Subsequent recruitment efforts have alarmingly turned to citizens guilty of rape, child molestation and murder.

The “high standards” imposed by DADT are derived from deluded and demagogic morals that disturbingly promulgate societal contempt for homosexuality. Worse yet, DADT teaches young closeted homosexuals to be ashamed of something beyond their control.

A misguided belief is that openness would be an ill-fated social experiment. Gen. Omar Bradley once said, “Experiments within the Army in the solution of social problems are fraught with danger to efficiency, discipline, and morale.” Interestingly, Bradley's statement wasn't pertaining to DADT. It was made in 1948, in response to President Truman's executive order to racially integrate the troops.

Nearly the entire Western world has decriminalized openness, and none has expressed associated morale or recruitment problems. America has become more closely aligned with the ideology of those militaries upholding a ban, including North Korea and Iran.

Military success is a result of a soldier's ability to trust his unit. Trust begins with honesty.

Ryan Teahen

Iowa City