Posted: 10/31/2010 7:01:37 PM EDT
|
good evening everyone,
I am doing a research paper pertaining to the possible repeal of DADT policy. If any of you are currently serving or have served in the military would you please take a few minutes to answer my 8 question survey. The link is attached. Please feel free to post opinions/input on the topic as well. Thanks DADT poll Sarah |
|
Quoted:
Have you considered posting this in GD? I thought about GD, but then I considered the type of people in GD and decided to post it in team as well as the mil. forum and here. I just do not want the post to turn into a shitstorm which will have a higher possibility of doing so in GD. I struggled with forming questions pertaining to the topic. For some reason I thought it wouldn't be that difficult, but then when I started I just went blank on information. My paper is going well if the courts would quit changing their minds by the week. lol I have two huge research projects due at the end of this semester and this one is by far my more interested topic. The other is Presidential Character which I will be posting a poll in GD for that one. Anyway thanks for the help/suggestions.
|
|
Good point. This might be a better place to ask. http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=1&f=77 |
|
Done.
I want to share a little story. Company D of the XX Infantry Battalion has a new private that reports. Guy's a stud. He hits the ground running, is fit and performs very well. Within a few months, the guy's performance goes down. His squad leader is breathing down his neck. Then he gets company grade Article 15s. Private Stud turned Dud requests transfer to another squad. Denied. You will soldier where assigned soldier. More downward spiral. One day while the Private Stud is doing extra duty, 1SG of Company D pulls him aside and says, "What the hell happened to you lately? You had such potential." Soldier relates that he needs to be assigned to another squad. He then begs the 1SG. After prodding, the private spills the goods to the top. Seems Squad leader of Private Stud had propositioned him. Several times. The fit private successfully resisted but was totally traumatized by it. Miffed Squad leader threatens, "You ever tell any body about this I swear I will kill you!" Private Stud believes him. So does 1SG when private tells him the story. Private is not reassigned. Instead, CID investigates. Discovers major problem with Squad Leader is true. Charges filed. Court Martial initiated. Squad Leader busted and sentenced to Ft. Leavenworth for 6 or 7 years. Newly reduced squad leader now begins clearing for trip to Kansas. Specialist Knuckelhead in the company armory is on duty while Sgt Armorer is taking lunch. Company D and the entire battalion is in the field. Reduced Squad Leader goes to SPC Knuckelhead and tells him he needs to draw his privately owned weapons to give to his sister so she can keep them for him. SPC Knuckelhead complies. Newly reduced Squad Leader takes his loaded .44 Cal Desert Eagle to Private Stud's barracks. He's changing out of his class A's from the court martial to go back to the field. Enter Newly reduced squad leader with loaded .44 Desert Eagle. CQ runner flies over to battalion HQs to grab the Command Sergeant Major who popped in from the field for NCO board. Runner tells him there is a guy that is yelling in Private Stud's locked room with a loaded pistol threatening to kill him. CSM grabs his Kevlar and flak vest and tells the unit to gets the barracks master key. MPs join the CSM. Keys provided. As they calmly talk to Newly Reduced Squad Leader, they quietly slip key into door. Upon entry, Newly Reduced Squad Leader blows Private Stud's head open and then his own. Both lay dead on the floor. Nobody wins. Sure, gays in the military will never impact anything. They have nothing to do with reduced performance. Nothing to do with reduced morale. Nothing to do with good order and discipline. Don't believe it. These events happened in one of my units in the early 90s. You won't hear stories like this at congressional testimony. Not politically correct. But it is true. Steve |
|
Quoted:
Done. I want to share a little story. Company D of the XX Infantry Battalion has a new private that reports. Guy's a stud. He hits the ground running, is fit and performs very well. Within a few months, the guy's performance goes down. His squad leader is breathing down his neck. Then he gets company grade Article 15s. Private Stud turned Dud requests transfer to another squad. Denied. You will soldier where assigned soldier. More downward spiral. One day while the Private Stud is doing extra duty, 1SG of Company D pulls him aside and says, "What the hell happened to you lately? You had such potential." Soldier relates that he needs to be assigned to another squad. He then begs the 1SG. After prodding, the private spills the goods to the top. Seems Squad leader of Private Stud had propositioned him. Several times. The fit private successfully resisted but was totally traumatized by it. Miffed Squad leader threatens, "You ever tell any body about this I swear I will kill you!" Private Stud believes him. So does 1SG when private tells him the story. Private is not reassigned. Instead, CID investigates. Discovers major problem with Squad Leader is true. Charges filed. Court Martial initiated. Squad Leader busted and sentenced to Ft. Leavenworth for 6 or 7 years. Newly reduced squad leader now begins clearing for trip to Kansas. Specialist Knuckelhead in the company armory is on duty while Sgt Armorer is taking lunch. Company D and the entire battalion is in the field. Reduced Squad Leader goes to SPC Knuckelhead and tells him he needs to draw his privately owned weapons to give to his sister so she can keep them for him. SPC Knuckelhead complies. Newly reduced Squad Leader takes his loaded .44 Cal Desert Eagle to Private Stud's barracks. He's changing out of his class A's from the court martial to go back to the field. Enter Newly reduced squad leader with loaded .44 Desert Eagle. CQ runner flies over to battalion HQs to grab the Command Sergeant Major who popped in from the field for NCO board. Runner tells him there is a guy that is yelling in Private Stud's locked room with a loaded pistol threatening to kill him. CSM grabs his Kevlar and flak vest and tells the unit to gets the barracks master key. MPs join the CSM. Keys provided. As they calmly talk to Newly Reduced Squad Leader, they quietly slip key into door. Upon entry, Newly Reduced Squad Leader blows Private Stud's head open and then his own. Both lay dead on the floor. Nobody wins. Sure, gays in the military will never impact anything. They have nothing to do with reduced performance. Nothing to do with reduced morale. Nothing to do with good order and discipline. Don't believe it. These events happened in one of my units in the early 90s. You won't hear stories like this at congressional testimony. Not politically correct. But it is true. Steve I'm going to play devil's advocate; So a specific incident related to the topic makes it applicable to the entire issue? If yes, here's my specific incident: There was a male platoon sergeant in one of my units who sexually assualted a female Soldier. Convicted at a courts-martial to eleven years, he's in Leavenworth as I write. So I ask; Do you also propose keeping straight Soldiers out of the military? Sexual assaults, harrassment, and murder are not unique to any group. The general opinion I got before I retired was that Soldiers were less concerned about orientation than they were about a Soldier being able to carry their weight and meet or exceed the standards. |
|
The general opinion I got before I retired was that Soldiers were less concerned about orientation than they were about a Soldier being able to carry their weight and meet or exceed the standards.
If the flood gate open for Gays, will they be able ( what's underlined ) and trusted to cover your back or their? And both cases are wrong but the first one ended Badly . |
|
Quoted:
The general opinion I got before I retired was that Soldiers were less concerned about orientation than they were about a Soldier being able to carry their weight and meet or exceed the standards. If the flood gate open for Gays, will they be able ( what's underlined ) and trusted to cover your back or their? And both cases are wrong but the first one ended Badly . I did have Soldiers who were absolute oxygen thieves and others who carried their own weight and that of others when necessary. Any of them might have been gay, but their orientation wasn't relevant to the task at hand. I suspect being straight doesn't improve your M4 qualification scores any more than being gay improves your two mile run time. |
|
Sam,
By way of an answer, I defer to the the Apostle Paul. He sums up what I believe here in the book of Romans. Please take time to read it as it is the basis for why I believe what I do: Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, Rom 1:19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Rom 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rom 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, Rom 1:23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Rom 1:24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, Rom 1:25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Rom 1:27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; Rom 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, Rom 1:30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Rom 1:31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; Rom 1:32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. This does not mean that I cannot have compassion. I've lost good friends and fraternity brothers to AIDS. Nor does it mean that one cannot out-perform another on some such job. I went to Ranger School with and served with another friend who was an officer with me in Alaska that was homosexual. Instead, it becomes a question of God's standard as outlined above. We are all sinners in bad need of a Savior who can give us understanding to withstand reprobate and destructive thinking and behavior. To reject that Savior, Christ's redemption and God's standard––even though we can––will not change God's character. It will only change our fate. Steve |
|
While I understand your point, there are many other things in the bible that we no longer agree with for good cause.
"And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire." (Leviticus 21:9) "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Whoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. He that sacrificeth unto any god, save to the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed." (Exodus 22:18-20) Does God look upon us with disfavor because we no longer burn whores and kill witches? |
|
Sam,
When Paul speaks of being 'deserving of death' he is talking in the eternal sense. He lays out the case that "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23)." Paul argues that we are all deserving of death because we have all sinned. So then what? He states, "But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8)." But people want to reject this truth because sin brings temporary pleasure. Paul states that this has a cost. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 6:23). He instructs that if "you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:9)." That is saved from eternal separation from God and eternal death. The problem is not that there are special classes of sin. All of it is bad and we all do it. Homosexuality is no different than adultery. Or lying. Or murder. Or cheating on taxes. Or being a dishonest politician. All of it "falls short of the glory of God." The solution to our sinfulness was that we cannot save ourselves. We needed our sins paid for. Christ did that on the cross. When people reject the bible as the word of God, they do so with a view that if rejected, they are not accountable to it or to God Himself. I wish it were that easy. But it is not. Condoning sin and rejecting God's standards does not change God's character. It only changes our fate eternally. But He loves us so much that He gave His son to pay our debts and to take our punishment in our place so we could spend eternity with Him regardless of what sin we had become consumed by. All He requires is for us to believe it and ask Christ into our heart. Then we can have eyes to see and ears to hear and not be given to the "reprobate" or "debased" thinking mentioned by Paul in Romans 1. As to what God disfavors can best be answered by what He favors: Proverbs 8 Pro 8:32 "Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways. Pro 8:33 Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it. Pro 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. Pro 8:35 For whoever finds me (wisdom) finds life, And obtains favor from the LORD; Pro 8:36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death. Good discussion. Don't mind the devil's advocate bit either. Steve |
I have two huge research projects due at the end of this semester and this one is by far my more interested topic. The other is Presidential Character which I will be posting a poll in GD for that one. Anyway thanks for the help/suggestions.