Repealing DADT is not practical for the Marine Corps

While repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy may be feasible for the Army, Air Force, and Navy, homosexuality is not compatible with the Marine Corps. Marine’s are not only expected to uphold specific standards, but are required to live by certain “Marine Corps Core Values”. Honor, Courage and Commitment become a way of life for Marine’s, but where does homosexuality come into play with values? When defining “Honor” The Marine Corps states “Marines must possess the highest sense of gallantry in serving the United States of America and embody responsibility to duty above self, including, but not limited to: Integrity, Responsibility, and Tradition” (Marine Corps Values) “Demonstrating respect for the customs, courtesies, and traditions developed over many years for good reason, which produce a common Marine Corps history and identity. Respect for the heritage and traditions of others, especially those we encounter in duty around the world.” (Marine Corps Values). Those traditions that do not revolve around conforming to a homosexual life style are the staples to the very Marine Corps ethos.

Those proud traditions that were instilled upon those joining the Marine Corps, are the same traditions that will prevent current service members from being about to fully conform to a repeal of the current policy. “The potential exists for disruption of the successful execution of our current combat mission should repeal be implemented at this time, in addition to compromising combat effectiveness, repealing DADT would also threaten unit cohesion and combat readiness, if the law is changed, successfully implementing repeal and assimilating openly homosexual Marines into the tightly woven fabric of our combat units has strong potential for disruption at the small unit level, it will no doubt divert leadership attention away from an almost singular focus of preparing units for combat” (Gen. James Amos, the Marine Corps commandant) “Marines bring with them when they enter the Corps their own set of Core Values. Personal Core Values are instilled in Marines by their parents, families, religious beliefs, schools, peers, and other influences upon their lives. These individual sets of values may be strong or they may be weak. Regardless of background, every Marine should understand that being a Marine entails embracing and adhering to Marine Corps Core Values.” (Marine Corps Values) Being a Marine requires sacrifice across the board. It is not the Marine Corps’ job to conform to society, but rather those few brave men and women who choose to join the “few and the proud” to conform to the Marine Corps.

Ready or not, here it comes...

Did you hear? As of midnight the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy is no longer in affect... Marine Corps Times article gave details the end of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. (I really encourage you to look into the details on this)

In short, the article goes on to say that the problem is that the Pentagon has failed to meet a variety of regulatory requirements written into the repeal law, including delivering to Congress copies of revised regulations and a summary of all policy changes, “especially with regard to benefits,” that will take place upon repeal... The Defense Department “is not ready to implement repeal because all the policies and regulations necessary for the transition are not yet final,” the lawmakers wrote... But not all policy changes related to repeal, including potential changes in benefits... Some benefits are specifically intended for a “spouse,” and the federal Defense of Marriage Act precludes the military, for now, from extending those benefits to same-sex partners. The best example is family housing.

An exhaustive Pentagon report on the effects of lifting the ban recommended strictly prohibiting any special bathroom, berthing or billeting assignments based on sexual orientation, even on ships and in other forward-deployed settings. Still, commanders retain the authority to alter berthing or billeting assignments on a case-by-case basis in the interest of maintaining morale, good order and discipline. As money allows, the services may improve privacy measures, such as installing curtains. But troops “must understand that the mission frequently demands operations in austere conditions where privacy is not a concern to operational planning,” the report says.

Quotes to live by...

"So many people enter and leave your life. Hundreds of thousands of people. You have to keep the door open so they can come in. But it also means you have to let them go."

— Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close; Jonathan Safran Foer

Attention!

At 1130 PST, Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer will receive our nation's highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor! Cpl. Meyer will be the first Marine to receive a Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan, and the first living Marine recipient of the award since now-retired Sgt. Maj. Allan Kellogg received the medal from President Nixon, for actions 41 years ago in Vietnam.

(Stars and Stripes) When Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer plunged into Afghanistan’s Ganjgal Valley, he was sure he wouldn’t come out alive, Meyer said in a USA Today article.

Dakota Meyer, the first living Marine to receive a Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan, will be honored with the award at a White House ceremony Sept. 15. Meyer’s team, along with other U.S. military advisers and Afghan forces, was pinned down near a village in Kunar province.

Meyer wasn’t going to wait and see whether they would get out. Defying orders to stay put, Meyer set himself in the turret of a Humvee and rode straight into the firefight, taking fire from all directions. He went in not once, but five times, trying to rescue his comrades.

During about six hours of chaotic fighting, he killed eight Taliban militants and provided cover for Afghan and U.S. servicemen to escape the ambush, the USA Today reported, citing a Marine Corps account of the events. Meyer saved the lives of 13 U.S. troops and 23 Afghan soldiers that day, Sept. 8, 2009.
Next week, President Obama will award him the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest medal for bravery. During the ceremony Sept. 15, Meyer will become the third living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Meyer, who joined the Marines almost on a lark, said in an interview with USA Today at his grandparents’ Kentucky farm that what he did was an easy decision to make.

“My best friends were in there getting shot at,” he said.

Quotes to live by...