SOIN - Live Issues

1,000 gays have needed military skills
By Pamela Hess, Pentagon correspondent

WASHINGTON (UPI) - Around 1,000 service members with special skills that are now sorely needed in Iraq have been expelled from the military in the last five years because they are gay, according to a United Press International analysis.

The military next week will recall from their civilian lives some 5,600 soldiers to fill out the ranks of 141,000 soldiers serving in Iraq. The service is calling in those former soldiers who have specific skills tailor-made for the Iraq conflict - those experienced in food service, truck driving, auto repair and healthcare as well as paralegals, combat engineers, administration specialists and infantry. It is the largest mobilization of the Individual Ready Reserve in two decades.

The IRR is a pool of former military personnel who either volunteer to be on call for duty or who, by virtue of their initial enlistment contracts, owe up to four years in the IRR after they leave the military. An Army official this week admitted some soldiers will be "shocked" to be called up for a year's duty from their civilian lives as the IRR is so rarely tapped.

However, according to numbers provided by the Army and by the Defense Department, at least 948 gay service members with the very same specialties have been forced out of the military under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bars homosexuals from serving. Not all of the 948 are from the Army; service by service breakdowns were not available.

Partners of gay troops wait alone
MCC churches to provide support services not offered by military

Lauren, the domestic partner of a senior Navy enlisted person, drove her partner to the California port last November so she could embark on the destroyer that would soon set sail for the Persian Gulf and the expected war in Iraq.

Hundreds of teary-eyed but enthusiastic spouses and family members waived to their loved ones in the military as the giant ship pulled away from the dock. But "Lauren," a lesbian who asked to remain anonymous to protect the identities of the couple, was not among them.

"I dropped her off that day," Lauren said. "But I did not get out of the car. We said our good-byes at home. It was for her safety – of not being discovered."

Lauren's partner is among the thousands of gays in the military deployed to the war in Iraq, while Lauren is among the partners left behind who must conceal the true nature of their relationships.

Gays deployed to Iraq and other locations in the Persian Gulf region must endure the same fears and family disruption associated with war as their heterosexual counterparts, according to officials with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a military watchdog group that assists gay service members.

But unlike their heterosexual compatriots, SLDN said, gay service members and their same-sex spouses must endure the added fear of being ensnared in the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which calls for the immediate discharge of gay service members who disclose their sexual orientation.

Although gays can secure a discharge under the policy whenever they wish by coming out of the closet, few choose to do so, said Steve Ralls, SLDN's communications director.

Ralls and Kathy Wescott, an SLDN attorney, said the organization is flooded with inquiries by gay services members seeking advice on communicating with loved ones at home without violating the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Partners of gays in the military, meanwhile, discovered that they do not qualify for a wide range of military programs available to other service members' families. Among them are spouse support groups, emergency financial aid, and regularly scheduled briefings on the status of the units to which service members are deployed.

WASHINGTON - She is deployed on a ship conducting operations against Iraq in the Persian Gulf. She has been in the theater since last November.

She is a senior enlisted person, 34 years old and in the service already for 15 years. During military operations, she works in the ship's command center, at one of the brightly lit consoles that control everything that happens. The work is so intense that four-hour shifts are the rule.

The fact that she is a lesbian is about as relevant to the war as the fact that she is based in San Diego, but the routine of discrimination requires that she endure the additional stress of hiding who she is in plain sight, even as she serves her country.

''She tells me a lot,'' says her partner (call her Jackie), who left the Navy as a lieutenant, junior grade, last fall after seven years in the service. ''She e-mails me articles about the war, including some that cover operations she's participated in. We go through a ritual of self-protection in our communication that is maddening, but you adjust because we have to be really careful.''

This is wartime, so some things in the military are different right now, as they have been in conflicts throughout American history, when the country's needs don't permit the luxury of indulging official bigotry.

Each time our military is deployed, we see the heartwarming photographs - husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends clutching each other until the very last minute.

For gay service members, that last goodbye is rarely made in public. The U.S. military's strict "don't ask, don't tell" policy forces homosexual members to keep their feelings hidden.

As war with Iraq inches closer, an increasing number of gay military members are turning to a Washington-based group for legal advice before they're sent overseas.

NEW HAVEN - Wearing power ties and gay pride pins, students from the Yale Law School Friday denounced the military's recruitment at the university and what they described as the financial blackmail that gained them access.

"We are all equals," Darren Cohen, a second-year law student who is gay, told his classmates. "The military doesn't see it that way. They do not think that I am equal."

For the first time in 20 years, the military's Judge Advocate General's Corps participated in the law school's interview program, after Yale temporarily lifted its nondiscrimination requirement.

In protest, about 100 students assembled outside the law school and blasted the military's stance on homosexuality. Some of the student protesters dressed in charcoal suits and camouflage gags, symbols of the silencing effect of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.


	1,000 gays have needed military skills United Press International, July 3, 2004 Partners of gay troops wait alone Washington Blade (glbt), April 11, 2003 Gays in military see an easing of discrimination Boston Globe, April 8, 2003 U.S. Focus: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 5, 2003 Don't ask, don't tell doesn't sell with Yale law students New Haven Register October 5, 2002 Suggest examples of coverage to raarons@aol.com Please include all necessary links in your e-mail.				United Press International, July 3, 2004 1,000 gays have needed military skills By Pamela Hess, Pentagon correspondent WASHINGTON (UPI) - Around 1,000 service members with special skills that are now sorely needed in Iraq have been expelled from the military in the last five years because they are gay, according to a United Press International analysis. The military next week will recall from their civilian lives some 5,600 soldiers to fill out the ranks of 141,000 soldiers serving in Iraq. The service is calling in those former soldiers who have specific skills tailor-made for the Iraq conflict - those experienced in food service, truck driving, auto repair and healthcare as well as paralegals, combat engineers, administration specialists and infantry. It is the largest mobilization of the Individual Ready Reserve in two decades. The IRR is a pool of former military personnel who either volunteer to be on call for duty or who, by virtue of their initial enlistment contracts, owe up to four years in the IRR after they leave the military. An Army official this week admitted some soldiers will be "shocked" to be called up for a year's duty from their civilian lives as the IRR is so rarely tapped. However, according to numbers provided by the Army and by the Defense Department, at least 948 gay service members with the very same specialties have been forced out of the military under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bars homosexuals from serving. Not all of the 948 are from the Army; service by service breakdowns were not available. Click here for the full-length story [back to the top] Washington Blade (glbt), April 11, 2003 Partners of gay troops wait alone MCC churches to provide support services not offered by military By Lou Chibbaro Jr. Lauren, the domestic partner of a senior Navy enlisted person, drove her partner to the California port last November so she could embark on the destroyer that would soon set sail for the Persian Gulf and the expected war in Iraq. Hundreds of teary-eyed but enthusiastic spouses and family members waived to their loved ones in the military as the giant ship pulled away from the dock. But "Lauren," a lesbian who asked to remain anonymous to protect the identities of the couple, was not among them. "I dropped her off that day," Lauren said. "But I did not get out of the car. We said our good-byes at home. It was for her safety – of not being discovered." Lauren's partner is among the thousands of gays in the military deployed to the war in Iraq, while Lauren is among the partners left behind who must conceal the true nature of their relationships. Gays deployed to Iraq and other locations in the Persian Gulf region must endure the same fears and family disruption associated with war as their heterosexual counterparts, according to officials with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a military watchdog group that assists gay service members. But unlike their heterosexual compatriots, SLDN said, gay service members and their same-sex spouses must endure the added fear of being ensnared in the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which calls for the immediate discharge of gay service members who disclose their sexual orientation. Although gays can secure a discharge under the policy whenever they wish by coming out of the closet, few choose to do so, said Steve Ralls, SLDN's communications director. Ralls and Kathy Wescott, an SLDN attorney, said the organization is flooded with inquiries by gay services members seeking advice on communicating with loved ones at home without violating the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Benefits missing in action Partners of gays in the military, meanwhile, discovered that they do not qualify for a wide range of military programs available to other service members' families. Among them are spouse support groups, emergency financial aid, and regularly scheduled briefings on the status of the units to which service members are deployed. Click here for the full-length story [back to the top] Boston Globe, April 8, 2003 Gays in military see an easing of discrimination By Thomas Oliphant WASHINGTON - She is deployed on a ship conducting operations against Iraq in the Persian Gulf. She has been in the theater since last November. She is a senior enlisted person, 34 years old and in the service already for 15 years. During military operations, she works in the ship's command center, at one of the brightly lit consoles that control everything that happens. The work is so intense that four-hour shifts are the rule. The fact that she is a lesbian is about as relevant to the war as the fact that she is based in San Diego, but the routine of discrimination requires that she endure the additional stress of hiding who she is in plain sight, even as she serves her country. ''She tells me a lot,'' says her partner (call her Jackie), who left the Navy as a lieutenant, junior grade, last fall after seven years in the service. ''She e-mails me articles about the war, including some that cover operations she's participated in. We go through a ritual of self-protection in our communication that is maddening, but you adjust because we have to be really careful.'' This is wartime, so some things in the military are different right now, as they have been in conflicts throughout American history, when the country's needs don't permit the luxury of indulging official bigotry. Click here for the full-length story [back to the top] Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 5, 2003 U.S. Focus: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network The military's closet Gay service members increasingly seeking help By Paige Akin, Times-Dispatch Staff Writer Each time our military is deployed, we see the heartwarming photographs - husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends clutching each other until the very last minute. For gay service members, that last goodbye is rarely made in public. The U.S. military's strict "don't ask, don't tell" policy forces homosexual members to keep their feelings hidden. As war with Iraq inches closer, an increasing number of gay military members are turning to a Washington-based group for legal advice before they're sent overseas. Click here for the full-length story [back to the top] New Haven Register October 5, 2002 Don't ask, don't tell doesn't sell with Yale law students William Kaempffer, Register Staff NEW HAVEN - Wearing power ties and gay pride pins, students from the Yale Law School Friday denounced the military's recruitment at the university and what they described as the financial blackmail that gained them access. "We are all equals," Darren Cohen, a second-year law student who is gay, told his classmates. "The military doesn't see it that way. They do not think that I am equal." For the first time in 20 years, the military's Judge Advocate General's Corps participated in the law school's interview program, after Yale temporarily lifted its nondiscrimination requirement. In protest, about 100 students assembled outside the law school and blasted the military's stance on homosexuality. Some of the student protesters dressed in charcoal suits and camouflage gags, symbols of the silencing effect of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. E-Mail: letters@nhregister.com Click here for the full-length story. [back to the top]


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