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Jan 20, 2004 Dear Sir, Yes, it might just be “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, but not the way you would have rewritten it. You discuss the three retired members of the United States Military who revealed their homosexuality with a perceptible awe that two were Generals and one an Admiral. In a military structure that is wall-to-wall over- strength in admirals and generals, the bulk of whom are not “gay”, this is hardly “noteworthy”. Your point that they would speak against the military “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” Policy upon leaving the service is not a point of boldness either. Safely tucked away in civilian life with their pensions, they are now free to openly join and commend a lifestyle of sin. It might have been “irony” that as high-ranking soldiers they had to enforce the “don’t ask” policy, but all officers, if ethical, and if taking their duty seriously would, by necessity of position, enforce regulations. It is commendable that these three men chose respect for the traditions of the service over the self-interests of the homosexual community. It does not matter how many soldiers are discharged because of this policy either. It is a proven fact that homosexuality does “undermine unit cohesion”. I am a 30-year veteran and have experienced the detrimental effects caused by homosexual discovery on several occasions. You suggest that the policy is “bad simply because it is wrong, because it imposes upon gay men and lesbians an unfair moral conundrum”; the “violation” of the conscience of the homosexual. There is no “simply” here Mr. Pitts. These people are wide-eyed and knowledgeable when they sign those contracts. There is no “violation of conscience” because nobody “asks” the pertinent question and nobody “tells” his or her sexual orientation. As long as everyone keeps quiet on something that is nobody’s business anyway, we can see success as proven by the complete, successful and quiet careers of the Admiral and the Generals. You consider “funny” and “pathetic” that a “straight boy” would feel “antsy” about being in the shower with a known homosexual. I consider you a fool for such a crass and uncaring statement. There are millions of people nationwide, not just in the military, which see the destructiveness of the homosexual lifestyle and reject it as abhorrent. You seem to ignore that and write as if you were supporting more than two percent of the American population. You say, “where gay rights [sans: Special Rights] are concerned, most of the nation is moving, albeit haltingly, forward.” I thank God every day for every halting stammer-step, because when you say, “The American military is one of the few institutions that still refuses, as a matter of policy, to reach that minimal level of enlightenment.” I know your intention. You say the military’s policy is “one of the reasons some gay people still find it necessary to hide among us like something out of “Body Snatchers”. That is OK. As long as silence remains golden the “gay” soldier can serve. You do not understand that the military, though made up from members of society, is a society itself, with its own set of core values that prevent disruptions in morale, health, and welfare and unit cohesion. A chaotic military would not be able to serve the security interests of America. It would always be too busy trying to fix itself. People like you have to stop trying to force the military into being a mirror image of the divided, multicultural mess that America has become. It might be “silly to believe we can separate homosexuals from straights” and “self-deluding in the idea that you can cordon off a hidden culture”, but silly or not it makes the most practical policy for the military. Your own sentence points to a “culture” that is foreign to that of the culture and traditions of the military. There has always been the “right” way, the “wrong” way and the “insert military branch here” way. You ask, “How many gay preachers, police, ballplayers, admirals and generals have to come forward before we get it?” I would ask, how many of these gay folks are going to continually ignore the warnings of God Almighty that they practice sin and will face eternal death for their sinful sexual choices? You have pointed out already that society is in a halting forward movement toward granting full special rights to all homosexuals. It seems people like you will not be satisfied until every organization is “enlightened” into accepting sinful practices. Finally, it may be true that there are homosexuals in Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force shower rooms among the “straights”. All soldiers signed the same “Don’t ask, don’t tell” contract. Discretion covers a lot of sin. Silence protects cohesion and order. To their credit, it was a good thing the Admiral and the Generals waited to reveal themselves. To the end, they practiced the time-honored military leadership ethic of “Setting the Example” for their peers and subordinates. If a military career is that important to any “gay” person, they will heed the example set by these men and follow it through to a fulfilled retirement, protected by “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” Sincerely, Michael John McCrae ------------ About the Author: Independent, Conservative, Christian. Married 29 years with 5 children raised and one grandson being raised. 30 year Army Veteran and published poet with www.poetry.com since Y2K. Email Michael John McCrae: michael.mccrae@us.army.mil Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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