Ethics

Another Soldier Wants DADT Repealed

By Ed Brayton

The Wall Street Journal, of all places, recently had an op-ed piece by a highly decorated former Army Ranger calling for the repeal of DADT. He points to his own experiences:

I was a line infantryman in the Army's Ranger regiment from 2000-04, earning a promotion to sergeant within three years. In that time, my platoon performed dozens of combat missions on the front lines. Our lives depended on complete mutual trust.

Several of my colleagues knew I was gay. We lived in the closest possible conditions. When there were showers, we showered together. When we were out overnight on the cold, bare mountains of Afghanistan, we slept huddled together for warmth. It should go without saying that there was nothing remotely sexual about these situations. We had uncomfortable experiences -- we were at war, after all -- but my buddies were never uncomfortable with me.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on June 08, 2009 (boomark / email).