In one of the less shocking stories to people with a bit of common sense, a new study reveals that the presence of openly gay members of the armed forces do not undermine unit cohesion.
One of the most common arguments against allowing gays in the military is that heterosexual soldiers who brave roadside bombs and snipers would be afraid to share a common shower with gay GIs.
However, the study, conducted by four high-ranking military officers, concluded that, "Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion."
It pointed to the presence of gays in the Israeli and British militaries, which have no effect on unit cohesion in those armed forces.
An officer interviewed for a 60 Minutes piece on the topic summed it up nicely.
Referring to a sergeant who told his entire chain of command of his sexual orientation, to the general disinterest of the brass, one officer explained: "[The sergeant] is in a critical field. He's a medic….his commander needs him. He's a known quantity….He goes above and beyond. Why do I want to lose [him]?"
The officers were pragmatic. They realized that in life and death sitautions, the most important thing about this soldier was his competence at his job, not the objects of his secret fantasies.
Eventually, the sergeant was fired for his sexual orientation. Hopefully this study will pave the way for common sense to prevail.
If American civilization is truly under threat by the supposed 'Evil doers,' then shouldn't we want to involve everyone possible in protecting it?
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