Retired general revered for his leadership fires salvo against antigay discrimination.

Source: Houston Chronicle Online
Author(s): Houston Chronicle Editorial
Date: January 7, 2007

In the last six years, U.S. service members have been barraged with poor decisions made in Washington. They were fed false pretexts, left understaffed and shipped into a conflict with no endgame. Yet at least one unnecessary burden — the "don't ask, don't tell" policy about gay orientation — is a relic of the Clinton administration. Now one of the original defenders of that policy is leading the charge to end the policy and the damage it does to the military.

Retired Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bill Clinton, said last week in a New York Times opinion piece that the time to end antigay discrimination in the military is nearing. It was a pathbreaking act of leadership that should embolden other military leaders who agree with him to speak out, too.

"His op-ed is like a bomb dropping on this issue," said Aaron Belkin of the Michael Palm Center at the University of California. "Never before in the history of the debate has a top general in the armed forces come out and acknowledge that all the arguments are wrong" against allowing gay soldiers to serve. Shalikashvili held top posts at the Pentagon during its difficult passage out of the Cold War era and is revered by many there for his leadership, said Belkin, whose group studies gays in the military.

In his essay, Shalikashvili said many in the military had abandoned the belief that openly gay soldiers would hurt morale or group cohesion. "Don't ask, don't tell" had been a necessary speed bump, he argued, in a culture that has advanced hugely in the 14 years since the policy was last debated.

In truth, the speed bump likely was unnecessary. No matter what the rank and file felt in 1993, U.S. military personnel are professionals who obey their superiors. Other countries have demonstrated this dynamic: Canadian and British soldiers who told pollsters they wouldn't work with gay colleagues accepted them well when integration was imposed on them. Both armed forces continue to excel.

But repealing "don't ask, don't tell " will certainly be easier in upcoming months or years than it would have been before. An increasingly educated public reports very different views about gay men and women today: A recent Zogby poll shows that three-fourths of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans say they are comfortable interacting with gay people. In the general population, 91 percent of young adults believe "don't ask, don't tell" should be repealed.

Meanwhile, though public perceptions have changed, two military realities remain. The first is that gays, who have quietly served with dedication for years, will continue to contribute. The second is that the military — as always — needs their talents. Only now, perhaps the armed forces can spare them less than ever. Despite the demands of fighting two wars, the military has lost thousands of personnel due to "don't ask, don't tell" restrictions. Hundreds of gay soldiers have lost their jobs in vital areas such as intelligence and language posts.

Salikashvili noted in his essay that Congress should pick this battle wisely, not moving too quickly to repeal the antiquated policy. There's some wisdom to this: Choosing the correct political moment and building consensus carefully will ensure a smoother implementation of the new policy. But the country cannot wait too long. Every serviceman and woman who leaves because of discrimination means a dual loss to the military: a depletion of its human resources and of its moral standing.