"The repeal of ‘Don't ask, Don't tell' will introduce conflicts and concerns at the small unit level will take away from the actual training leading to war ("Consequences of repealing Don't ask, Don't tell," Feb. 15)."
Yes. The repeal of DADT will introduce conflicts within units. Any number of differences can spark conflict in units; most times, those conflicts can be resolved with some applied maturity. A more concrete demonstration, if you'll allow:
Hi, Michael Falvey. I'm Robert. I graduated from Notre Dame in 2009, majoring in English and art. My favorite Ninja Turtle is Raphael, but my favorite Renaissance painter is Michelangelo. I lived in Alumni Hall for four years. I love Notre Dame.
And I'm gay. Michael, I love men. My telling you this might create conflict between us. But we're both Domers. I would hope our bond is stronger than that, or else the much-hyped Notre Dame family is just a couple of empty words.
Michael, you're a freshman, so maybe you're inexperienced with LGBT people. We're not some new group, invading your social circle; we're already a part of it and always have been. Roughly 10 percent of everyone you know. So when, not if, some of your friends come out of the closet, it'll create conflict within your social unit. Would you kick them out of your circle of friends and avoid the issue, or would you accept them and work past your conflict to strengthen your friendship?
Think about what you'd do for a friend or a fellow Domer. And that goes for all of you in the military, too. We are Americans; we are ND.
Robert Scully
alumnus
class of 2009
Feb. 15
