DU military vets glad that DADT is finally repealed

[underpants]

ME!
:hi: :patriot:

1990-1993 US Army Cav Scout

[JohnnyLib2]

1. Add one!

Army 67-74

[underpants]

28. Saalute!

:patriot:

[sarge43]

2. Yo.

It was a disgrace. Good riddance to bad garbage

1962-1983 USAF

[underpants]

29. Saalute!

:patriot:

[old mark]

3. Me, too. ANYONE who is willing to put themselves on the line for this country

should be welcomed.


Mark

US Army 1968-1971

[underpants]

30. Saalute!

:patriot:

[Glorfindel]

4. Right here! Good riddance, bad policy

1966-1968 US Army, one tour in Vietnam

[underpants]

31. Saalute!

:patriot:

[Ezlivin]

5. 1977-1980 US Navy Submarine Service

And my wife, 1977-1981,1985-89 (reserves) US Navy.

We both served with gays and they were damned good people. Proud to call them friends and proud to have served alongside them.

[underpants]

32. Saalute!

:patriot:

[Statistical]

6. And me.

1998 - 2002 US Army Cavalry Scout
2003 - 2009 Virginia National Guard Field Artillery (13B & 13P).

[underpants]

33. Saalute!

:patriot:

[pinboy3niner]

7. Army, '67-'71

Infantry platoon leader, 101st Airborne Div., Vietnam, '69-'70.

Good riddance to DADT!!!

:patriot:

[underpants]

34. Saalute!

:patriot:

[DevonRex]

8. Here!

Russian Linguist US Army MI

[pscot]

9. 14TH Armored cav

1962-1965. Three years as an E-2.

[underpants]

27. Saalute!

:patriot:

[haele]

10. Me - and in 1981, an XO of mine was suprised to find out -

-I wasn't a lesbian. This during a command-wide witch-hunt of gays because an AWOL 22 year old "little girl" thought her best defense was to claim to be intimidated and threatened by "all the butch dykes" instead of admitting it was because she wanted to spend Spring Break in some tropical location with her boyfriend. The XO first told me not to worry, because they needed me - then told me that his best sailors tended to be lesbians and he was going to try to make sure they were only going to go after the dead-weight.

I guess that was a complement of sorts.
And that wasn't the first time I had overheard a comment like that from an officer in the '80s.

:shrug:

I've served alongside gay, lesbian, and bi- sailors and marines my entire Navy career. And no-one cared unless that sailor or marine was a slacker or hazard to his or her shipmates.

Haele

[sarge43]

13. Ah yes, the witch hunts

I love it when the bigots mouthed the "unit cohesion" crap. You want cohesion circle the drain? Start a witch hunt.

[underpants]

35. Saalute!

:patriot:

[Submariner]

11. Pig Boat's had gay sailors

From '65-'69 lived in a very very confined space, and never ever had any problem with gay sailors It's about damn time this discrimination stopped.

[underpants]

36. Saalute!

:patriot:

[ProSense]

12. Me

Army, Army Reserve and National Guard

[xchrom]

14. Are you gay? Nt

[ProSense]

15. No, the OP is about military Vets.

I'm a Vet who believes DADT was a ridiculous policy.

[xchrom]

23. Yes. I didn't think you were. Nt

[underpants]

37. Saalute!

:patriot:

[Kurovski]

16. K&R& thank you to all DU vets.

[NightHawk63]

17. Served 1981-85 Army Military Intelligence.

I knew several good soldiers, male and femle that were hounded out of the service. Glad this travesty is finally over.

[underpants]

38. Saalute!

:patriot:

[Aristus]

18. DAMN RIGHT, I AM!!!

I don't have to be gay to be glad that this idiotic, destructive and wasteful law has been consigned to the dustbin of history.

A salute to all of DU's veterans, straight and gay, who made this possible! :patriot:

[underpants]

26. Saalute!

:patriot:

I was in the Army when this happened initially. It more brought it up than it did to solve any supposed "problem" that existed.

[cherokeeprogressive]

19. USN AMS1 1981-1990 and I CRIED watching the vote on CSPAN. Count me in!

[underpants]

39. Saalute!

:patriot:

[Sonoman]

20. Present! (I am an old-timer).

It wasn't an issue when I was in, there were simply straight guys and gay guys.

This thing has never been a military issue, but a socio-religious fuck-up.

Sonoman

[underpants]

40. Saalute!

:patriot:

[lazarus]

21. chiming in

1984-1988 USAF comm specialist

Add my wife, DUer Haele, retired Navy Chief, too!

[underpants]

42. Saalute!

:patriot:

[MrScorpio]

22. Count me in!

DADT was a policy that effected everyone in uniform, gay and straight alike.

I'm glad to see it gone.

[underpants]

43. Saalute!

:patriot:

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. We are

hubby is a retired USN Chief, and I served somewhere else.

BOUT BLOODY TIME!

[underpants]

44. Saalute!

:patriot:

[tabasco]

25. Infantry officer 1986-1995

Had a gay soldier in my mech platoon. He was a damn fine soldier. I never asked him but I'm pretty sure he was gay. Took a lot of crap from the other soldiers but it was mostly good-natured and they respected him as a soldier.

Became the BN CDRs driver he was such a good mechanic.

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. You will appreciate this

one of my guys WAS gay, young and very good EMT.

One of the older guys came into the office refusing to even respond to calls... I mean it might be contagious. So I pointed to the door and told him that it was open. Old guy, been there for close to 20 years.

He was flabbergasted. How could I let this young buck STAY? So he staid. I also gave him very direct orders about giving this young guy shit.

To make a long story short, they were forced to go out on a few calls... and they became very good friends. It was funny in a way. But as I put it to my people, I will not tolerate this kind of shit. I only care that people do their jobs, and do it well.

The US Military I suspect, will have a FEW of these one way conversations... and there will be a few of them. In fact, given the experience of other militaries, there will be far less one way conversations than those who oppose it realize, or for that matter those who aprove of this.

[underpants]

46. That is called commanding

or in interview parlance "Manage the work not the people"

:patriot:

[underpants]

45. Saalute!

:patriot:

In my unit there was one of them rumors about the fueling section. I didn't care because they were always there at 3 or 4 AM in the bitter German winter cold. I never got a look at any of them because all of us were bundled up to live through the night. Didn't care.

[leeroysphitz]

47. 1989, 1993 1st Gulf War. B Co. 319th M.I. Battalion.

We win.

[underpants]

48. Saalute!

:patriot:

[FromNY]

49. USN and Proud

Count me in on this one. Onboard ships 1978-1982. Also a shout out to ADM Mullen for endorsing the repeal.

[flying rabbit]

50. Army here.

[TexasObserver]

51. recommend

[MH1]

52. Count me

8 years combined Army and Army National Guard.

Not gay myself but always thought banning gays from the military was ridiculous policy. I knew a few when I was in and it was no big deal. You will always have groups of people who dislike each other for one reason or another and at the time that's how I saw the gay/ anti-gay factions. I now know it is more serious for the gay folks but it is still stupid to think it would hurt readiness, at worst not any more than any number of divisive issues. Such as, *ahem* proselytizing by the overtly religious. I mean sheesh, it is just about getting the mission done whether or not you particularly like some of the people you're working with.

[Vickers]

53. Count me in.

SSgt. Vickers, USAF

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

54. USN 1967-1970

The guy who came on to someone else in the squadron was just transfered to another squadron, the married guy who left a photo of himself and his wife on the dresser where the babysitter found it was kicked out of the Navy however.

I was against the war, but didn't want to go to Canada, didn't want to get drafted into the Army and thought the Navy my safest bet. Got Moffett Field as a 'home port' so spent lots of time in San Francisco. Still talk on the phone now and then with a buddy I rented an apartment in Mt. View with so we didn't have to sleep in the barracks with the drunks.

[Jack Rabbit]

55. SGT Jack Rabbit, US Army (1976-79)

Straight but not narrow.

[Skittles]

56. ME

:D

[denbot]

57. U.S. Navy 77-81 Equality IS an American value.

Bravo Zulu! :patriot:

[unhappycamper]

58. Another one here.

67~68 Chu Lai, 198th Light Infantry Brigade

69~70 Cu Chi, 25th Infantry Division

[HillWilliam]

59. Me!

374th ASA, 330th ASA (AVN) 1975-1982

And gay!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

60. Plus one. 66-68 REMF

:hi:

edit to add: Army

[rgbecker]

61. ASA, 66-70.

Very glad DADT is repealed. Time for everyone to stop living a lie.

[lonestarnot]

62. K &R!

:patriot:

[LiberalLoner]

63. Me too. Served in the MFO in Egypt and in the 11th Signal Brigade, Ft. Huachuca. n/t kr

[Kurovski]

64. Kick. (nt)

[TriMera]

65. Army. Discharged pre-DADT.

I'm glad this policy on its way out.

[w8liftinglady]

66. my late dad,my uncle,my partner and my son are all glad

Dad-lifer
Vietnam,not Cambodia,Laos 1966-1975

uncle-drafted Vietnam 1967-1970

Partner:
Vietnam,not Cambodia,Thailand 1971-1975
Gulf War one 1990-1991

Son;
iraq 2003,2005,2007

all four said if the troop is brave enough to serve,that's enough for them