The great social experimentation ground for America since WWII is the US Armed Forces. (The force that is charged with perhaps the Nation’s most important mission….to fight and win our wars.) And once again it is challenged to figure out how to accomplish that mission while assimilating and functioning with a group of the societally aberrant. Yep I said it Margaret, aberrant. You want a definition? The Dictionary of Sociology does it this way: “aberrant behavior is “irregular behavior” that deviates from what is considered normal. In sociology, the use of the term implies that the behavior in question is performed in secret and mainly for reasons of self-interest, as for example in the case of certain unusual sexual practices. This may be contrasted with ‘non-conforming behavior’, which usually refers to public violations of social norms, often carried out specifically in order to promote social change. Thus the political or religious dissenter proclaims his or her deviance to as wide an audience as possible.” The former is the Don’t ask, Don’t tell policy and the latter is where we may be headed.
All those gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals (glbt) that have been hanging out in a three point stance just waiting for the repeal so they can sprint to the recruiters and join (I really wanted to be a _________ but since DADT is gone I want to be a Marine!) should weigh their options carefully. The second and third order of effects, Post/Base housing issues, insurance, pregnancy leaves, the chaos resulting from wild litigation, the commanders’ time spent on glbt issues, et al, is going to cause major backlash. There will be a HUGE downside.
Not to mention BEHAVIOR. If you are into public display of affection (pda), open marketing of your same sex, sexual preference, look out. If you think you’re going to make a social statement and move the big green machine, the blue machines or the OORAH crowd, rethink. It is only buying trouble for which you will want recrimination that just might not be worth it. My guess is that there is going to be an ocean of tears and a mountain of lawsuits in the coming months and for what? Some empty political victory that gets a significant number of asses whipped for flirting/ making passes and/or acting abhorrently aberrant. So how bad do you want to serve? 99.9% of us that joined the military did NOT want our heads shaved or to be yelled at in basic training, or up at 0355, or get shot at in foreign countries or on and on. BUT we all conformed to the behavior…..which by the way is in place for a multitude of reasons having been learned the hard way with the blood of our fathers. Conform and serve; don’t conform don’t serve. Order and discipline demand it……….not the US Congress who can’t find it’s own ass with either hand.
There is a culture in the United States Military that is long and proud and resistant to lowering of standards. It is only resistant, as it has happened that standards have been lowered for a variety of social and political reasons over time. Morality issues set aside for a minute understand that the business of Armed Forces is by nature regimented, regulated, and a closed society unto itself. A society built on trust of one another. One only has to listen to two Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen or Marines talk for 3 minutes and you realize there is an entirely different language. Once inculcated into this society people are not “society’s children” anymore. Bonds between and among these people are strong and made stronger by war, combat, multiple deployments, sacrifice, and sometimes incredibly bad circumstances. Gays and lesbians (and bt’s) have flourished in these conditions in the past. Don’t ask don’t tell was a cop out and even though both sides, the Sergeants Majors’ and the glbt soldiers lived it and knew it, the policy worked to the degree possible. This is not about skin color or gender, this is about conforming to a set of behaviors for the common good of the organization. And, oh, by the way, fighting and winning wars means casualties and that means serious trust in the folks that fight beside you.
The future is significantly unclear, but volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity face our young men and women. How the Services handle this will settle out over the years, but with denigration and detriment to the war winning force. Gazillions of vignettes already exist that more than proclaim the foolhardiness of the repeal of the general cop-out that don’t ask, don’t tell was in the first place. Good order and discipline DEMAND that aberrant behavior be recognized and punished in a regimented organization; and in the short term expect that punishment. God couldn’t regulate heing and sheing (Adam and Eve) or heing and heing and neither can the US military. But both can and will punish it. A word to the wise for all you gbtl’s out there carrying signs, protesting DADT, fussing at the politicians who want your vote but not your lifestyle, think through your decision to enlist in the US military. Most of you won’t enlist you just want those that do to be like you. Those that do remember this: the enemy’s bullets don’t give a rat’s behind what your sexual preference is.