Monday, August 14, 2006

'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL' CLAIMS 60 FORT WOOD SOLDIERS

The Snarling Marmot tipped us to this one early. From CNN:
An Army base in Missouri used the "don't ask, don't tell" policy to kick out more soldiers than any other military installation last year, followed by an Army base on the Kentucky-Tennessee border and a naval base in Virginia.

Sixty people were dismissed last year from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, according to Defense Department documents shared with The Associated Press by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. That was up from 40 discharges under the policy from the training facility in 2004.

The advocacy group, which advises military personnel on the gay policy, obtained the information through a Freedom of Information Act request. Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke confirmed that the Defense Department provided the information to the advocacy group.

The second-highest number of discharges was at Fort Campbell, a sprawling Army base on the Kentucky-Tennessee line. But the 49 people dismissed there, up from 19 in 2004, also represented the single-biggest increase in discharges anywhere.
They should change the policy to "don't care."

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

The amry should use another word, other than discharge, when gay guys are sent packing. Oops. Ugh, I mean asked to leave.

Anonymous said...

Advance to the rear, men.

Anonymous said...

when I heard the story on NPR this morning I thought it was a joke. However, i'm not all that surprised that the most 'gay men' were at Fort Phallas, I mean Fort Wood.

Anonymous said...

Nice gay-bashing from the homophobic anonymous posters, none of whom have likely ever served in the military. So typical of the conservative "Christian" mindset of this area.

Gays have been serving in the military since its creation. We should be thanking them for their service, not discriminating against them.

Anonymous said...

Lib'ruls and gays don't deserve to be thanked for thier service.

When is the last time you heard a conservation talker do it? Try never ...

Anonymous said...

They can probably make up for the loss of manpower by raising the recruitment age. Do I hear 45?

Anonymous said...

Nice anonymous poster-bashing from the hypocritical and identity-obsessed (yet still quite anonymously cloaked with his own geeky half-mugshot and cutesy screenname) doclarry. So typical of this self-absorbed arbiter of debate.

Anonymous posters have been posting on this blog since its inception. We should be thanking them for their insights, not discriminating against them.

Anonymous said...

Too bad you couldn't be more original in your post. Please explain how I was hypocritical in my comment? You may learn all you want about me simply by visiting my blog. I, on the other hand, only know that you feel the need to hide in anonymity.

Anonymous said...

Marcus writ: They can probably make up for the loss of manpower by raising the recruitment age. Do I hear 45?

They have raised it to 42 in the Army ... do I hear any votes for 60?

Anonymous said...

Spend your pre-retirement years touring historic Baghdad, view panoramic sunsets on the Euphrates river.....all expenses paid.

Anonymous said...

Doc Larry, even when I agree with you on an issue (as I do on this one), I am still put off by your smug self-righteousness. Cool down that attitude and maybe people will listen to you more. It's the medium, not the message.

Anonymous said...

Amen, mostly, to the previous poster.

And sorry, Doc Larry, but I'm going to remain anonymous, too. If you can't see the hypocrisy or the plain silliness of your constant criticism aimed at people who post here anonymously, probably no amount of diagramming or explanation is likely to ever enlighten you.

Nobody's ever going to recognize you in the grocery store from the picture that only shows half of your pimply, unibrowed face, wearing dark glasses. Nobody's going to find you in the phone book by looking under "doclarry." You're about as anonymous as it gets. So please get over this psychosis you seem to have about anonymous posters. It's too silly for any more words.

Anonymous said...

"You may learn all you want about me simply by visiting my blog."

Sorry, doclarry, but we've already learned more about you than we'd really care to know, just by visiting THIS blog.

Anonymous said...

How's it feel to be "piled on", Doc?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a come on to me. Maybe Newty needs to be discharged.

Anonymous said...

I figured it would be 69 soldiers discharged, er prematurley.

Anonymous said...

It might make the back and forth of conversation a little easier if the multiple anonymous' identified themselves. After all, names, whether they're pen names or not, make good reference points. Blogger accounts are free and anonymous.

Anonymous said...

Once again, Ron Davis is completely wrong. Davis wants us to believe that the U.S. military diligently digs into the private lives of all trainees, searching for the gays so they can give them the boot. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I graduated from basic from Ft. Wood this spring, so I have some credibility. One of the first privates I met in training claimed he was gay. He wanted to go home to see the birth of his child. It didn’t work, and it kept him in training longer. Most, if not all of the 60 discharges from Ft. Wood, are not actually gay. They just wanted out.

Gay soldiers who don’t want to quit after the first time a drill sergeant barks an order can and do graduate from Ft. Wood. The “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” does not stop them from being part of our armed forces. They just can’t wear “Queer Pride” buttons on their fatigues and kiss their comrades.

Political hacks like Davis will never understand the military or our policies, the Uniform Code of Military Justice. To them, our rules must seem as archaic as the Ten Commandments. Desertion in time of war is punishable by death. Not showing up for work can land you in jail. Even being late can cost you half a month’s pay.

These rules are also very fair. Soldiers who engage in any sexual conduct during training can be discharged. I knew a male private that was discharged for committing adultery with two females in the laundry room. He got caught because he videotaped his acts on a cell phone that he wasn’t supposed to have. Instead of shipping to AIT, his butt stayed at Ft. Wood for three months with little pay while his discharge papers were processed.

He wasn’t trying to get out. He was just that stupid. Of course, the same can’t be said of the 60 discharged “gay” soldiers. They wanted to get out and succeeded. Faking injuries and craziness no longer worked. Staging open lesbian circle sessions in the training bay must be the ticket home!

While college activists (and Ron) scream with indignation that gays can’t serve in the military, some soldiers would rather be gay college students. Maybe they ought to trade places.

Anonymous said...

Well Ron, once again Vincent David John Jacob Jingle Himerschmit Shotenkirk Shimmy Shimmy Ko-ko Bop Ramma Lama Ding Dong Do Wah Diddy Diddy Gidyup Ooomp Pompa Oooomp Pompa Mow Mow Hiyo Silver Away Banana Fanna Fo Fanna De Doo Doo Doo De Da Da Da (That's all I want to say to you)Gabba Gabba Hey Gabba Hey (Now you're one of us) two all-beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onion on a sesame seed bun, Itsy Bittsy Tiny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Jericho Joiner-Kersee Sammy Davis Junior has read something he didn't like on your blog on posted a tirade. I bet he whines about it tomorrow on his little radio show.

Anonymous said...

I'm Ryan Cooper, not Vince. He's not this funny.

Anonymous said...

Anon, can't you debate the facts? Why do liberals ignore logic and just revert to name calling?

Your string of verbal b.s. about a radio talk show host that may or may not post on this site is absurd.

I'd believe this guy. He was there. You were not. And "his little radio show" attracts more listeners than your insightful comments does readers.

And what's up with Sammy Davis? Are you anti-black, too?

Anonymous said...

What a putz. "Can't liberals debate the facts"? Since when do facts count in politics? It seems like that all went out the window about 6 years ago. No make that 8. That was when a little dittle in the oval office got one impeached. That was a serious crime. It is very similar to the high crime of being gay. The "moral bankrupcy" that our friends on the other side of the isle have appointed them selves judge on. What may you ask are not immoral crimes commited in the White House? Wars started on lies. Hiring private armies that have no laws to abide by. Hiring private companies owned by good friends to profit of of said wars. Failing in your constitutional duties.... I would go on but it's depressing. And what does Newty care for the facts anyway? After all we have gays to burn on a stake.

Anonymous said...

Anon, you need professional help. Honest to god, you do. Instead of liberals supporting trial attorneys, you should throw your support behind psychiatrists.

Newty does care about the facts. Newty knows the wicked ways of you liberals. All the crap you dish up about Bush, Christ, you sound like the enemy and perhaps you are.

Wars started on lies? You idiot. Your boys and girls had the same intel as Bush and your side voted for this war. Now that Iran and Syria are sending in the insurgents, and things aren't going well, you cry we were lied to. Bush misled. Bull crap. And what private armies have we hired? I must have missed the classifieds. Oh, and failing on Constitutional duties. That's a good one. You need to take off the Michael Moore "groucho" glasses and stop drinking George Soros bottled kool-aid. Wow!

And I never brought up Clinton and his BJ. But since you did, you must remember. Clinton wasn't impeached over oral sex. He was impeached because he lied to a Federal Grand Jury. That's called perjury. But that's dismissed too. I guess thatis determined by what the definition of the word IS, is.

You left-wing socialists want Bush to aplogize, hells bells, I'm still waiting for Clinton to apologize for lying on TV..."I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky and now I've got to back to work for the American people." Make that two lies. The sex part and the part about him working.

You can burn gays at the stake if you'd like. And when they're done cooking, you can enjoy with the cream of sumyungguy.

Anonymous said...

You guys are killing me. This is funny stuff. Serioulsly though, Newty, come on.
Liberals are the enemy? Just like the terrirists eh? I mean you arch-conservatives have much more in common with UBL than middle of the road liberal Americans.
Who loves war? Arch-Republicans and terrorists. Who loves holy war? Hard core christians and extremist muslims. See these terrorists that you hate so much have much more in common with you than liberals. HMMM, That must be why you hate us so.

Anonymous said...

I'm really not in favor of the Don't Ask; Don't Tell and am very sympathetic to most gay causes....BUT you have to admit...Fort WOOD having the most cases of homosexual expulsion is pretty funny.

Anonymous said...

No repsonse?
Silence = compliance.

Anonymous said...

nice spelling. althought newty is just wrong and a d#$%^h.

Anonymous said...

nice spelling yhou left wing duch.