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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

Consequences of repealing Don't ask, Don't tell

Those who serve our country in uniform, particularly those in combat units, are not homophobes. In the Pentagon's highly cited report regarding "Don't ask, Don't tell," nearly 60 percent of America's infantrymen, those who do the backbreaking work of fighting America's wars, stated that they believe the repeal of "Don't ask, Don't tell" would adversely affect unit cohesion. This percentage, which is considerably higher than that of the rest of the military, is not because infantry men are worried about feeling "uncomfortable" as Adam Newman puts it in his Feb. 11 article "You Don't have to be Straight to Shoot Straight." These men live a life of discomfort that ignorant civilians and policy makers know nothing about. Their disapproval means they recognize the terrible danger that the repeal of "Don't ask, Don't tell" will put their lives in. Not Obama's life, not the media's life, not "Diversity's" life, not some sophomore in college's life, but their lives.

Such homosexual activity, or the thought that your buddy in the rack next to you engages in homosexual activity, detracts from the combat mission of the Army and Marine CORPS (Note the spelling Adam Newman). Our infantrymen bunk together, shower together and eat together; they locate, close with, and destroy the enemy together; they are able to stare death in the face because they do it together. Because even the smallest decision, action or policy could mean the difference between life and death, it would be a disservice to these warriors to enact a policy that will detract from unit cohesion, especially during a time of war. 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. Even the most trivial of things will suddenly become complicated. These men's lives are complicated enough, who are we to make them more so.

Any policy change that has the slightest chance of endangering the lives of our nations sons and daughters, America's greatest and most treasured asset, should be immediately disregarded by any man of worth until, at the very least, the United States is not engaged in war. Political opinions, campaign promises and diversity are not worth the lives of America's children.

God, Country, Notre Dame,

Michael Falvey

freshman

Zahm Hall

Feb. 13

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.