« Leslie Schumacher: Creating a contrived coffeehouse history | Main | Letter to the Editor: HUSC members’ behavior reprehensible »
March 08, 2005
Letter to the Editor: Military recruiter ban would aid the armed forces, not damage them
Tim Allen’s letter to the editor in last week’s Oracle accuses the students pushing for a military recruiter ban on campus of “failing to see the big picture.”
He suggests that banning military recruiters on Hamline campus would hurt the army’s recruitment efforts in a time of desperate need for military personnel, and that furthermore, the military has neither the time nor the resources to devote to changing this policy during a time of war.
In reality, it’s the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that is draining resources and personnel away from its military efforts. According to a study recently released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Pentagon spent more than $200 million and discharged 9,488 service members over the last decade in enforcing the “don’t ask, don’t tell policy.”
Of the discharged, 322 had some proficiency in languages such as Farsi and Arabic, urgently needed skills in short supply at the Pentagon.
On the other hand, four-year universities are not big recruitment centers for the military, since most of the students attending are already committed to finishing their four-year degree. Also, a recruitment ban on campus wouldn’t shut the doors for any students who wanted to join up; recruitment centers can be found throughout the metro area, including one just up Snelling in Crossroads Mall.
Tim makes another interesting statement in his letter. He writes, “Troop morale as well as the cohesiveness of a unit are aspects to consider when debating such a policy.” Although he refrains from entering this debate, the implication of the statement is clear.
Worries about troop morale was one of the main arguments used against racial integration of the military after World War II. This fear never materialized, and now the military is rightly admired for the giving advancement opportunities to African-Americans that cannot be so easily found in the private sector.
It’s time the military continued this tradition and opened its door to all people, regardless of sexual orientation. One of our closest allies, Great Britain, lifted its ban on gays in the military in 2000, and right now the Royal Navy is starting a recruitment drive aimed at gays, lobbying for homosexual rights in the force and advertising in the gay press for the first time. These are not uncharted waters: Allowing gays to serve in the military has worked and continues to work for many militaries across the world.
A ban on military recruiters on campus would not hurt the military, but rather would help it. It may only be a small step, but this kind of demonstrative action is the first step in putting pressure on the Pentagon to change a policy that not only is discriminatory, but also is hurting the military by discouraging an entire segment of our population with valuable skills and talents either from joining in the first place or dismissing them if they express part of their personal identity.
Manney Anderson
CLA Junior
Posted by msveum at March 8, 2005 04:40 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)