Originally Posted by Missileer

BD, I think some gays would fit in without a problem

That is a fact.

I know two very competent NCO's who are gay and one officer who are active duty Army. They are very well thought of by their soldiers and receive excellent reviews by their chain of command. No one knows they're gay but for a handful of people. They don't "act gay" and I think that is a very crucial element.

BUT they are a security risk with the current rules. They have an element in their lives that MUST remain secret or their careers are over. It is a situation that lends itself to blackmail.

For me and other soldiers who know their secret it puts us in a very dicey morale dilemna as well. OPSEC and PERSEC and the very lives of fellow soldiers OR friendship? In an environment of teamwork it puts someone in a zero sum no win situation.

For a politician it is a simple thing to do, to lie and to break rules and then shift the blame to someone else. But for a soldier whose very life depends on the bond with the soldier next to him it is a ed up situation. Do you endanger countless lives or a possible blackmail scenario or do you turn them in protect the force and lose the trust of many around you? Clinton did more harm to the military with this one decision than anything else he did because this goes to the very heart of what it means to be a warrior and needs to be corrected ASAP.

To me this is the only issue with gays in the military because my personal views on their lives should not be relevant. Just like anyone's personal opinions about race, religion, politics etc have no place in the service. You leave that at the door and do the damn job.

Originally Posted by BennettNC_156

Mod Edit: Please try to be a little more polite. Actually, don't try, just do it!

You guys have to be truthful, while you were showering in basic, would you want a gay guy in their with you? No. Not unless you yourself are gay.

I am assured enough in my sexuality that I really would not give a damn. I have had many gays eye me, and I am still straight! C'mon, if you have a problem serving with, showering with, or sharing a foxhole with a gay soldier, you have to remember one thing. It is YOUR problem. Deal with that, and everything will work out just fine.

Dean.

Just wondering if any one has delved into the health issues with sharing that fox hole. If someone is shot and wounded and you had to risk mixing your fluids with his would you want to take a chance that you would get infected with aids because last week he had sex with someone and contracted the virus.

My own personal feeling is that gays should not serve. I do not hate, degrade, or insult them and as far as I am concerned they can do what they want in there own private lives. I don't agree with there life style and believe that God set up a man and a woman as mates for a specific purpose. Nothing that I have seen in my 33 years of life has proven that anything good comes from being gay, besides a strong fasion sense and good hair. Everything surrounding gay men and wemon is controversy, division, deception. I do not want any of those things in the unit that I may serve in the future.

The prospect of contracting HIV that leads to AIDS, which can be dormant for years, would definitely be a show stopper for me. There is no way, in a battle, that someone is not going to be splattered with blood and every other kind of bodily fluid when someone beside him steps on a mine or gets hit with a mortar or grenade. It's just too much of a risk to think it can't happen.

I work in retail. Retail clothing to be specific. To say I've worked with a few homosexuals of both genders would be something of an understatement. From my experience, most of them don't really fit the stereotypes. They're just "folks." That, however, is civilian life. Obviously there is a vast difference between that and the military world, but, just like the controversy of women in the military, if they can pass the same tests that the rest of the men are expected to pass, then let them join. What really pisses me off is when one group gets preferential treatment that threatens other soldiers. If you can't hump the same ruck as all the rest of the people in your company, then you have no right to be there.

Devil's Advocate question here, though:

If the same genders shower and bunk together homosexual or not, then why not just have combined living arrangements. Saves money on building extra facilities. I suppose my answer to that question has something to do with the massive pregnancy rate on ships, but there are some interesting parallels that raise questions.

It brings a whole new meaning to the famous words "Watch my Back"

If I've got a choice. No!! I wouldn't want homosexuals in the forces.

They make my skin crawl. If this offends you I'm sorry, but I can't change the fact.

"Nuff Sed"

So I take it "Priscilla Queen of the Camo" wouldn't be a DVD on your Xmas wish list?

Originally Posted by senojekips

If I've got a choice. No!! I wouldn't want homosexuals in the forces.

They make my skin crawl. If this offends you I'm sorry, but I can't change the fact.

"Nuff Sed"

Thats pretty much the sentiment of certain white people 50 years ago about Afro-Americans when Truman desegregated the military.

Like I said, I'm a product of my time. born and raised before all of this "touchy feely" crap came about. When people were free to express their honest opinions.

Speaking of African Americans, I am a personal friend of ex Tech/Sgt Larry removed USAAF and his wife Genevieve, and was invited to Hawaii to their Wedding anniversary, which i attended. He's as black as any man I've ever seen, so you see your reasoning is baseless. The truth of the matter is that we all have our preferences, and they don't always have to be the same as yours.

I know people who don't like eating broccoli, but that doesn't necessarily make them "Bad People".