Two Arguments Against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Preface:

The other day, I mentioned Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Well, I stumbled across an article that mentioned the Pentagon discharged 11 more soldiers because of their sexual orientation. According to the AP, "627 were fired in 2007." (2008 stats haven't been released yet.) If those folks were all grouped together, that's right around a batallion.

Those numbers aren't even the worst of it. I can't help but wonder how many GLBT folks don't sign up for the armed services at all, given that they know the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is in force. I assume there are at least some such folks, and I'd imagine a sizable number still in the service that are in the closet, so to speak (given that at least 12,000 or so GLBT folks joined and were later kicked out because of their sexual preference). So we're preventing more folks from joining the service exactly when we need them (they just sent another MN National Guard unit last month), and we're forcing our GLBT soliders to hide their own identities, which is shameful. These folks are sacrificing just like every other soldier; they should be rewarded, not punished, for this.

OK, now it's time for the arguments:

For those folks who'd say that gays aren't fit for the service, or those that say they'd degrade the quality of our armed forces, I've got one argument (and one snarky comment) for you. First, the snarky comment: Seriously, you actually believe that? OK, you might.

Since you might, consider this: A good deal of the world's militaries are integrated, and they sure as hell aren't falling apart. Two good examples: Israel (which, for better or worse, has the military out there with the most practice) and the U.K's armed forces. Both admit gays to service and the armed forces of both countries are highly effective.

This next bit isn't an argument. Actually, it's more of an appeal to authority. But hey, no one's perfectly logical. Even the higher-ups in the States are coming around to the idea of gays in the service. Consider Army General John Shalikashvili (ret.) and his 2007 op-ed piece in the New York Times. Originally he was in favor of Don't Ask, Don't Tell; now he's against it. Here's a link to the article.

And if that little appeal to authority didn't sell you, let's talk about money. According to an article I found on the DOD's website, "it costs the Army $54,700 to train a basic combat arms soldier, and as much as $67,000 for other military occupational specialties, depending on the length of their advanced individual training." Now multiply that by 12,000 and that's quite a bit cash.

This is a recurring cost. Let's assume that Don't Ask, Don't Tell stays in place, and that 600 is an average number for folks booted from the service. (1,200 were kicked out in 2000 and 2001, by comparison.) That's still about $33,000,000 lost per year. A good chunk of cash, yes?