Stories From The Frontline

Pretty much anyone reading this is gonna agree the DADT policy of the US armed forces is pretty retarded and outdated, in fact even the leading senior military figures in the Senate panel currently reviewing the policy are advocating its repeal.  Most of the opposition is coming from the standard gays = sex manics (okay maybe partly true amongst the gay friends I have), could singlehandedly bring down an entire platoon by their very presence (if they weren't so anti-gays themselves, maybe terrorists could take down the us forces by having the queeniest bitches in all fagendom on their front lines), uber conservative senators and now retired military leaders from the Vietnam era.

But it hasn't been repealed yet, and there's some rather depressing reading out there about the soldiers who are still falling foul of this law.  Especially those who the US want, such as foreign language speakers, but get rid of by their adherence to DADT.  For those who don't pay close attention to these things, its important for you to know that whilst the policy is DADT, those outed by a third party can be 'investigated' and in some cases, some people have been outed due to reviews of personal, usually private, emails, that happen to show a squaddie emailing back home to their same-sex beau, so the application of the don't ask part of the policy is a little, sporadic (i can never hear that word without thinking "I hope not sporadically", Clueless was there before mean girls ever started the "fugly slut" quotes.)  Below is a letter sent from a soldier, a week ago,, to the good President, Mr. Obama.  It's rather heartbreaking really, and makes poignant points about the problems currently caused, by reviewing the DADT policy without putting a moratorium on its use during the review. 

The world is currently condemning the recent actions of Malawi and Uganda against gay people, and yet, as the soldier points out, here is the United States, sending a soldier to war because its convenient for them, who if he's lucky enough to come back, already knows his return, unlike that of the rest of his unit  -who will be publicly lauded and praised for their heroics, will be to the military casting him out as a degenerate and corrupting influence.  But only during peace time.



May 14, 2010
President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500


Dear Mr. President,

I am writing to you from a kitchen in the state of Washington. The love of my life is in the other room. It has been eight months since I saw him last and I cherish every moment we spend together. Next week, my mid-tour leave will be over and I will return to Iraq and finish my second deployment. I don’t know when I’ll see my partner again.

When serving in a war zone, you learn quite a bit about yourself and what’s important to you. I’ve had the chance to work on a close and personal level with the people of Iraq, and in doing so, I have realized more than ever that the freedoms we enjoy as Americans should not be taken for granted – we must protect them at all costs. These freedoms are essential to the very foundation of our society. Yet so many men and women who fight for these freedoms aren’t allotted their own. Our freedom to love and be loved by whomever we choose. The freedom to live of a life of truth and dignity.

Recently I was informed that the military was investigating me for violating the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. Another service member had apparently “outed” me. At first I felt free: I didn’t have to lie anymore. But after that initial sense of relief, I’m left knowing just how little the Pentagon and the United States government think of me.

Mr. President, my unit is extremely undermanned. We’re working around the clock in Baghdad. My commander informed me that the Army cannot afford to lose me. I was told that they would prepare my discharge paperwork, “stick it in a Manila envelope, and keep it in a desk -- for now.”

One moment they wanted to throw me out and the next they are hiding evidence to keep me in.

My comrades now know that I am gay, and they do not treat me any differently. Work runs as smoothly as ever, and frankly the only difference I see -- besides my pending job loss -- is that I am free of the burden of having to constantly watch my words and ensure my lies are believable.

Having this out in the open makes things a bit less stressful. But it’s also clear the Army is only keeping me around until they are done with me. After I have served my two deployments -- and only a year shy of separating from the military honorably -- I suspect they will kick me to the street.

It’s bad enough that there is a law that denies tens of thousands of service members from serving with integrity, but it’s even worse when such a law is carried out with such inconsistency, without any warning of when it might come down.

If my suspicions are true, my discharge will move forward after my deployment. I am good enough to serve in war, but not at peace? I will never be at peace until this law is repealed – and neither will my partner. In fact, he won’t even be informed if I am killed in action. That might be the hardest part for us both.

Mr. President, when you took office I remember watching your inauguration knowing that history was being made. I remember feeling like this weight was being lifted off of my shoulders. I truly believed in you, and I still do.

But, Mr. President, please keep your promise to me.

Please do everything in your power to help Congress repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this year. Our government called upon us to fight for our country. So many of us answered the call; we did not delay. We were sent world’s away to defend your freedoms. Mr. President, won’t you fight for mine?

With deep respect,

A soldier returning to Baghdad


(The writer is currently serving and unable to identify himself publicly.)



This letter, was published by a project called Stories from the Frontlines, by the Servicemembers Legal Defence Network.  As the markup for the various reviews and bills related to it going through Congress approach, SFTF are posting a different letter every weekday.  It's fairly intense reading.  Make sure you've got an evening to sacrifice freely to your thoughts before sifting through some of the other examples.