The Military and Don't Ask, Don't Tell

At The Huffington Post, Professor David C. Wilson writes:

I am a professor of political science and international relations, but I'm also a veteran of two wars (Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom) with 20 years of service in the Army. Over the course of my service I reviewed tens of thousands of military personnel files, and at least 25 percent of them belonged to soldiers who should not have been in the service. But, it wasn't because of who they were; it was because their behavior while in uniform (or off-duty) was consistently substandard and considered unacceptable.

...

When I was in basic training, in Ft. McClellan, AL, our drill sergeants called us every expletive in the book, and frequently cursed our skin colors, regional cultures, heights and weights, and family names. They questioned the reasons we were there, and went out of their way to tell us we wouldn't last long.

But, they also taught us everything about being a unit, and nothing about being individuals. The 3rd Platoon did everything together -- we ate, trained, slept, showered, cleaned, marched, and fought as one. We also complained that Smith broke wind too much, that Miller never showered, that Johnson was slowing us down, and that Wilson was a "know it all." But, when it came time to fighting against 1st or 2nd Platoon (or anyone, including other drill sergeants), you would not see a more unified group.

The military operates by emphasizing a "team" identity, and this is why concerns about the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" are both wasteful and irrelevant. It's the military, stupid.