Serving in Silence
The following entry is an excerpt of a response sent to us by a former service member who wishes to remain anonymous. The service member discusses the difficult personal debates lesbian, gay and bisexual service members face under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
To submit your personal reflections to any or all of SLDN’s blog entries please email us at blog@sldn.org.
As a veteran of four of the most recent peacekeeping and combat conflicts since Bosnia, I was one of those service members who chose to continue to serve and lead by putting my country before my personal integrity. I exited the Army upon completion of my contract after returning from Iraq, never revealing my sexual identity to my command. There are many other servicemen and women who complete their tours and end their contracts in the same manner. Although these numbers rarely appear in the statistics, I'm sure many more gay and lesbian service men and women would reenlist or continue their military service by if the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was repealed.
While my exit from the military was not solely due to my conflict with the "don't ask don't tell" policy, it was a serious a factor in my decision to leave the Army. That personal conflict is there for every lesbian, gay or bisexual service member who must make that choice between patriotism and personal integrity.
In light of recent shortfalls in recruitment, ending the ban will relieve an enormous pressure on the military personnel system by recognizing the quality already within its ranks rather than stretching the standards to enlist less qualified applicants. Ending the ban will allow lesbian, gay or bisexual service members to work without fear of their military careers being abruptly ended on the discovery of their sexual orientation. Ending the ban will keep every lesbian, gay or bisexual service member from having to choose between service to one’s country or upholding one’s personal honor.
And ultimately, ending the ban will allow every lesbian, gay or bisexual service member to stand up and be recognized for their contributions to our military and our nation.
-Anonymous
-Rebecca Sawyer
To submit your personal reflections to any or all of SLDN’s blog entries please email us at blog@sldn.org.
As a veteran of four of the most recent peacekeeping and combat conflicts since Bosnia, I was one of those service members who chose to continue to serve and lead by putting my country before my personal integrity. I exited the Army upon completion of my contract after returning from Iraq, never revealing my sexual identity to my command. There are many other servicemen and women who complete their tours and end their contracts in the same manner. Although these numbers rarely appear in the statistics, I'm sure many more gay and lesbian service men and women would reenlist or continue their military service by if the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was repealed.
While my exit from the military was not solely due to my conflict with the "don't ask don't tell" policy, it was a serious a factor in my decision to leave the Army. That personal conflict is there for every lesbian, gay or bisexual service member who must make that choice between patriotism and personal integrity.
In light of recent shortfalls in recruitment, ending the ban will relieve an enormous pressure on the military personnel system by recognizing the quality already within its ranks rather than stretching the standards to enlist less qualified applicants. Ending the ban will allow lesbian, gay or bisexual service members to work without fear of their military careers being abruptly ended on the discovery of their sexual orientation. Ending the ban will keep every lesbian, gay or bisexual service member from having to choose between service to one’s country or upholding one’s personal honor.
And ultimately, ending the ban will allow every lesbian, gay or bisexual service member to stand up and be recognized for their contributions to our military and our nation.
-Anonymous
-Rebecca Sawyer
posted by SLDN at
1:28 PM
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