Do Ask and I Will Tell

Even though the, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was instated to prevent the disruption of unit cohesion and combat effectiveness, the D.A.D.T. policy needs to be repealed as soon as possible. Seventeen years after the policy was written there has been no solid evidence to support claims that allowing homosexuals to openly serve would negatively affect unit cohesion and combat effectiveness. The military has lost many well qualified service members due to violations of the stipulations of the D.A.D.T. policy.

Unit cohesion is the way unit members operate with one or another. It describes camaraderie, trust and loyalty amongst men and women who at some point may pay the ultimate sacrifice and give their life for one another. On an appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball Peter Sprigg stated that "the presence of homosexuals in the military is incompatible with good order, morale, discipline, and unit cohesion." (M.G.) Studies speculate that in worst case scenarios known homosexuals might find themselves on the receiving end of hate crimes and ostracism. ( RAND Corporation). However to date there has been no solid evidence to suggest that these concerns are warranted. “I know I work with gays and lesbians but what they do behind closed doors doesn’t bother me,” this is the general response I received after interviewing anonymous members of select Armed Forces. Several polls suggest that although Congress is at ends about whether or not to end the policy, American voters have decided that enough is enough and homosexuals should be allowed to serve openly. On a deployment your interactions are limited to the people you are deployed with you eat, sleep, shower, work and fight with the same men and women every day. I was deployed from March 2008 until June 2009. We had approximately two female Sergeants who were especially likely to be lesbians, “butch lesbians,” to be exact. These women ate, slept, showered, worked, and fought alongside me and my battle buddies. Not...