Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell Years Away

Last March, Dan Choi, an Arabic speaker, infantry officer, and Iraq combat veteran, of over ten years, told Rachel Maddow, "By saying three words to you today -- 'I am gay' -- those three words are a violation of Title 10 of the U.S. Code. . . . Basically, they want us to lie about our identity." For disclosing that he was gay on the Rachel Maddow Show, he became the first military Arabic translator discharged under DADT during the Obama presidency.

Choi, who spent the first ten years pretending to be someone he wasn't said he didn't "realize how painful and how toxic and how deadly Don't Ask, Don't Tell is until I had a love relationship and I was forced to lie about that."

Nearly 11,000 men and women who refused to comply with "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy, including those who experience "third party outings," where a service member is kicked out after being reported by others to be gay, were dropped from duty since 1993. Amongst those 11,000 men and women fired -- despite the fact that we're at war with Arab countries, amidst a shortage of Arabic translators -- many were gay Arabic linguists.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, three-quarters of Americans say that they support openly gay people serving in the military. The 75% figure is far above the 44% of Americans who said so in May 1993. Even former Vice President Dick Cheney thinks it’s time for DADT to go, but despite popular support, and the call for the end of DADT by the military's top officials, a complete repeal of DADT is probably years away.

"I wonder if they're going to poll the loved ones of gay soldiers and ask them how does it feel to not exist. How does it feel to be lied about?" "How does it feel when you're partner goes over seas [and] you can not kiss him or her on the tarmac. How does it feel if your soldier dies [and] you won't be notified? I hope they take that into consideration because those families are all American families." -- Dan Choi

However, just last week, one week after Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, called for an end to the 16-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy, Choi was called back to active army duty.

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Is It Possible to Overcome the Tragic Legacy of War?

W. Eugene Smith's "Wounded, dying infant found by American soldier in Saipan Mountains" 1944 © [1944], 2008 The Heirs of W. Eugene Smith
Past traumatic experiences can invade an individual's present with the same psychological level of destructive force that occurred at the time of the actual incident.

The loss of feeling safe, or the absence of safe haven amidst an environment of chaos and violence, and the lack of a support structure after the traumatic event, are key causal factors involved in producing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

PTSD is very high among our coalition forces, not to mention, Iraqi civilians - including a great number of children - mainly because of the aforementioned factors. The lack of boundaries - for example, IEDs on the roadside and undetectable suicide bombers, etc. meaning the enemy could literally be anywhere - and the lack of a firm foundation and easy to manage infrastructure ready to handle the profound consequences of our soldier's brutal experiences has been strongly linked with greatly increased divorce rates, increased incidence of alcohol and drug abuse, and an increased rate of suicide amongst our soldiers once they come home.

This haunting legacy of war leaves soldiers with, not only the traumatic, unrelenting, brutal images of bloody battlefields, mutilated civilians and soldiers, but, in addition, they are left with the "blood guilt", the psychologically costly endeavor of having to kill.

The high level of death and destruction experienced during war can undermine the individual's brain's ability to verbalize what he's been through, however this Vietnam veteran was able to articulate the terror he had to relive on a daily or nightly basis:

Links:

A Soldier's Legacy "Don’t ask, don’t tell, but Alan Rogers was a hero to everyone who knew him."

Jumbo jet will carry fallen soldier's legacy to Iraq - More than a year after 2nd Lt. Peter Burks was killed by a roadside bomb blast in Iraq, his father continues to send care packages to soldiers and Iraqi children — so many that American Airlines is donating a plane to fill from top to bottom. It's a partnership with Operation Iraqi Children, a charity founded by actor Gary Sinise.

U.S. Soldier's Legacy Lives On. - The "Christopher Van Der Horn Military Survivors Mental Health Access Act," which doubles the number of mental-health visits without pre-authorization to 16.

In Remembrance

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Resources For Our Troops

Since the current administration shows little interest in doing anything substantial to support our troops and veterans:

Citizen Soldier - GI Vetern's rights advocacy group founded during the Vietnam War.

GI Rights Hotline - who provide information to servicemembers about military discharges, grievance and complaint procedures, and other civil rights.

Military Law Task Force - assists those working on military law issues as well as military law counselors working directly with GIs.

National Gulf War Resource Center - help veterans of recent and current wars and operations.

National Institute Of Military Justice - to advance the fair administration of military justice and foster improved public understanding of the military justice system. NIMJ is not a government agency.

National Veterns Foundation - Lifeline for America's Veterns

National Veteran's Legal Services Program - ensuring that the U.S. government honors its commitment to our veterans by providing them the federal benefits they have earned through their service to our country.

Objector - supports and promotes individual and collective resistance to war and preparations for war.

Don't Ask Don't Tell:

ServiceMembers Legal Defense Network - a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and related forms of intolerance.

Soloman Response - a place to voice opposition to the military discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

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Last year it was reported that the Bush Administration thought an additional $6/month was too much for our troops we better support.

The Bush Administration also strongly opposes:

• An additional $40 per month for widows of slain soldiers.
• An additional $100,000 death benefit for surviving family members of civilian employees who died supporting US forces in military operations.
• Price controls for prescription drugs under TRICARE, the military’s health care plan for military personnel and their dependents.

In addition, the administration does not want stricter accountability on contract employees, meaning the contractors doing the same or less work as the soldiers will get paid more than twice as much but we're going to look the other way.

Back in 2004 the Bush Administration's proposed budget cuts:

• Cut $1.5 billion from military family housing.
• Underfunded veterans' health care by $2 billion resulting in 200,000 United States veterans waiting more than six months for a medical visit because of health care shortages and 173,000 veterans across the country would be cut off from health care because enrollment fees and higher out-of-pocket costs.
• Opposed plan to give National Guard and Reserve Members access to health insurance.
• Cut $172 million allotted for educating the children of military personnel.
• Denied military families increase in child tax credit.

According to President Bush and friends, as long as America plasters "I Support the Troops" bumper stickers all over their gas-guzzling, road hogging, cup-holder happy Cadillac Escalades, tank-like Hummers, and Chevy Suburbans, United States citizens are doing their part.

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