America: September 2010

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Pride and Patriotism
by Denny Meyer
 

The summer of 2010 seems to be a time which will be remembered in American military history for its anachronistic lack of insight.  LT Dan Choi, a Korean American and LT Robin Chaurasiya, an Indian American were discharged under DADT for being gay.  And West Point Cadet Katherine Miller, a Japanese American, resigned rather than endure further homophobia.  They are hardly the only minorities hounded out of our armed forces because of who they are; but the profound loss of these three happened within a few weeks this summer, at a time when the policy of exclusion should be in its last days.  I have the sense that the vital importance to our armed forces of their diversity  was not even considered in the deliberations leading to their dismissal.  The deliberations seem to have focused simply on whom they happen to love.

All three devoted their final high school years to preparing themselves physically and academically to qualify to enter our officer service academies.  Like our president, they were determined to overcome ignorant stereotypes about who can lead.  Like our president, they sacrificed the usual teenage fun times in order to study and work out, to excel to achieve a goal.

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Duty - Honor - Country

by

Former Cadet
Katherine A. Miller

I thumbed through the myriad of college information packets I received in the mail. I was 16 years of age, preparing to enter my junior year of high school, and completely directionless when it came to my post-secondary education plans. That is, until I stumbled upon a pamphlet with a strong woman standing before - and very apparently commanding - a sea of men and women dressed in grey uniforms. I was not simply intrigued; it was much more than that. I felt that in glancing at that picture I had learned something deeply personal about myself. In retrospect, I can say confidently that my directionless, teenage self was awe-struck and inspired. I opened the packet and studied the featured content.

"Duty - Honor - Country. These three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be."- Douglas MacArthur, 1962

The words echoed in my head long after I was done reading them. I suddenly appreciated the concepts of personal, holistic development that would benefit a cause far greater than myself.

HIV / AIDS and the Issue
of Gays in the Military

By
Alan M. Steinman, MD, MPH
RADM (Ret), USPHS

The issue of HIV and AIDS is occasionally raised as a reason for maintaining the current Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. The underlying assumption in this reasoning is that allowing gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) troops to serve in the military would increase the number of HIV+ service members and create an unacceptable risk for HIV- (and presumably heterosexual) service members. A corollary to this assumption is that a significant number of current and future GLB troops are or would be become sero-positive for HIV, and the risk of transmission of HIV through emergency battlefield transfusions of fresh whole blood would increase if GLB troops were allowed to serve. So strong were these assumptions in the early years of DADT that the FY96 Defense Appropriations Act included legislation that required the discharge of any HIV+ troops; but Congress repealed that provision the next year as unnecessary. Since that time, none of the dire assumptions about GLB troops has been supported by factual evidence.

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