General James Amos, USMC, has given the spirits of his men a great boost by sounding off on the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ issue. Amos is next in line to be chosen as Commandant of the Marine Corps, on the upcoming retirement of now Commandant General James Conway. General Amos is a Marine aviator, a jet pilot by trade… not a hard-nosed infantry officer like General Conway. Did Obama think that Amos would be a soft touch? Amos and Conway have both been keenly aware of what the men in the Corps were saying… and thinking.
Amos spoke for the Corps as a whole when he said that unit morale would suffer. He said that the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy had suited the unique requirements of the Marine Corps.
I wrote in an article, a month or so ago, that the Marine Corps is a very special place. Morale is high and unit cohesion is as well. I count myself to have been honored and blessed to have been a United States Marine. Coming from an infantry background myself, I know how Marines react to such things. I know, for instance, that no one wants to be in the shower with some gay making calves eyes at them. The complicated relationship issues that gays are prone to are disruptive as well.
I wouldn’t want to be in a fighting hole with someone I knew to be openly gay. I’d be uncomfortable, wondering whether he’d be concerned with the enemy to our front, or my front. The repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ is a harpoon aimed at the heart of the military.
In my opinion, having gays serving openly in the military would be damaging to good order and discipline. Ultimately, I believe that it would bring an end to our military as we know it.
Semper Vigilans, Semper Fidelis
© Skip MacLure 2010
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