Ten Years In The Trenches: A Decade of Don't Ask, Don't Tell
by Fred Shelley

The first panel of Equality Forum, which explored the ten year old policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, kicked off on Monday evening with a mixture of statistics and emotion. "Nearly 9,000 have been discharged since the inception of the policy," stated Sharra E. Greer, Legal Director of Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and moderator of the panel. Greer went on to state that recent numbers have gone down, which is a common trend during periods of conflict between the United States and other countries.

Frank Kameny, a World War II veteran and prominent Washington activist, led Monday night's discussion with a brief history of how homosexuality has been policed in the military both before and during the policy. Kameny stated that while this policy may have done away with the direct question of asking homosexuals about their lifestyle, the fact remains that the policy "deprives the military of the services of large numbers of highly qualified people, therefore lowering the quality of [our armed forces]." He cited a recent action that discharged several Arabic linguists, which are in short supply and high demand, shortly following Bush's declaration of several countries as threats, including Iraq, which is an Arab-speaking country.

One of the discharged Arabic linguists, Stanley Grib, also was present at Monday evening's panel. Grib told his personal account of the events surrounding the quick discharge of seven linguists within the same camp. Grib was discharged shortly after the death of Harry Winchell, who was beaten with a baseball bat by other soldiers who had suspected him of being gay. His fear for his own safety precipitated his decision to come out, which led to his discharge. Grib stated that during his closeted years of service in the military, "this kind of duplicity is very difficult to live with."

Eils Lotozo, a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter, continued the discussion by sharing pieces of an article she had written, which explored the lives of five partners of soldiers who had recently been deployed. Finding these respondents proved difficult due to the "secrecy and fear" that many have surrounding the policy. None of the partners would divulge their names (some would only give initials and the state they reside) for fear of implicating their partner.

The article gives accounts of many of the soldiers who live their personal lives in a private way. Many of those who are deployed do not carry a picture of their loved ones for fear of being discovered. One partner stated that while saying goodbye is difficult, "the hellos are even worse." Many soldiers who come back from duty must restrain themselves when they see their loved one for the first time because other soldiers are present. Emails are monitored, which makes communication difficult. Most recently, public sendoffs and messages via the media have been common for heterosexual partners and families of troops, but not for homosexual loved ones. Another respondent concluded, "Just because he loves who he loves doesn't mean he can't do his job."

Even while dispensing harrowing statistics and accounts regarding the ten year old policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Monday evening's panelists seemed optimistic that hope is just around the corner. Kameny stated that he doesn't see the policy lasting more than another five years. Greer supported this opinion, citing other countries lifting similar bans as examples, most notably Canada and the United Kingdom, which are similar in culture to the United States. Still, for those who currently serve in the military, five years can seem a very long time. As one respondent for Lotozo's article stated, "It's second nature. It never leaves his mind."

More of Fred Shelley's writings can be found at www.haydenism.com.