Wounded Gay Soldier Discharged From Army ( OK draft a College Repug to

[wakeme2008]

replace him..

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Gay-Soldier.html

May 31, 2005
Wounded Gay Soldier Discharged From Army
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 8:11 p.m. ET

CINCINNATI (AP) -- An Army sergeant from Ohio who was wounded in Iraq and wanted to remain in the military as an openly gay soldier was officially discharged Tuesday, according to an advocacy group.

Sgt. Robert Stout, 23, was awarded the Purple Heart after a grenade sent shrapnel into his arm, face and legs while he was using a machine gun on a Humvee in May 2004.

Stout, of Utica in central Ohio, told The Associated Press in April that he wanted to remain in the military and be openly gay, but that would conflict with the Pentagon's ''don't ask, don't tell'' policy.

..little more at link....

[ruggerson]

1. Bush should be forced to publicly lick this guy's boots and thank him

[WI_DEM]

2. Let's see their recruitment is down 40% and a brave soldier

in Iraq wanted to stay and yet he is sent home because he is gay? The question is has he done his job? apparently, he is a seargent. He got a purple heart. Has he been coming onto straight men in his division? Doesn't indicate he has. He just wants it to be known that he is a gay American serving in Iraq--and that is not good enough for the military. Well, maybe they can get people like Englund and the other scum involved in the prison scandal to take his place. Low life and low intelligence seems to be what they want.

[IndianaGreen]

3. I am uncomfortable when I see a member of a persecuted minority

don the uniform and go to another country to persecute and terrorize its civilian population. Having gay GIs as part of the colonial occupation of Iraq is a bit like the role of the Jewish police, the Judischer Ordnungsdienst, that assisted the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Sgt. Stoud should spend some time reflecting on this...

[Dogmudgeon]

5. Jewish Nazis and Gay Colonizers

Subtlety certainly isn't the strong point of that post.

--p!

[expatriot]

7. Fortunately, they are not persecuted in every sector of our society

and I while I identify with the thrust of your argument, I think his courage and bravery in standing up and asserting with both word and action that a gay man can serve his nation in the line of fire, in the line of duty is of such a pioneering quality that this man deserves our admiration and respect.

I wish that ALL members of the U.S. military would spend time reflecting on this no matter their race, ethnicity, class association, creed or sexual orientation. While gays in this country are certainly denied various rights and regularly suffer the blunt edge of bigotry I would guess that Sgt. Stoud would say that the United States bestows enough rights and privileges upon him as to deserve his service in its defense and interests.

A discussion on war in general and this war in particular is one I would like to have with all those in the service and not any less or more so with Sgt. Stoud.

[Reverend_Smitty]

4. A man who gave so much of himself for his country

should be able to serve as an openly gay man...period! Don't ask don't tell is just wrong

[chaumont58]

6. In the book, "Conduct Unbecoming,"

author Randy Shultz wrote about a gay Army medic who was reenlisted, happily, by the Army while the Viet Nam War was raging, but was denied reenlistment after the war wund down. It has been awhile since I read the book and I hope I remember this right. When the Army had a shortage, they took all comers.
Thats why this surprises me somewhat. Maybe having a fundie for President changes everything. Sort of error has no rights.