Posted on 11/15/2017 5:23:40 PM PST by markomalley
The top military leader of the Army on Wednesday stood by the service of transgender soldiers after one received a waiver for gender reassignment surgery, amid the Trump administrations ongoing debate over whether such troops should be allowed to serve.
We all, everyone in uniform, we took an oath; we took an oath of allegiance to the Constitution, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters at the Defense Writers Group in response to a question from The Hill. And embedded within that Constitution is an idea, and its an idea that says you and I, no matter whether youre male or female, gay or straight or anything else, whether youre black or youre white or whether youre Protestant or youre Catholic or youre Jew or youre Muslim or you dont believe at all, it doesnt matter if youre rich or poor or famous it doesnt matter. None of that matters."
And thats what we adhere to in the military. Its a meritocracy in the military. Its based on standards," he continued. "If you meet the standard, great. If you dont, then thank you very much for your interest and do something else. So thats the message, and it has been the message for going on two years or more for the United States military. And thats kind of where we all stand, I believe, from [Joint Chiefs] Chairman [Gen. Joseph] Dunford on down. Its a standards-based military, full stop. And thats the way it is.
The Pentagon announced Tuesday night that the Defense Health Agency approved a waiver for a soldier to use the militarys health benefits to pay for gender reassignment surgery.
A waiver was needed because the surgery was performed at a civilian health facility.
The soldier in question declared transgender status in August 2016, acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters Wednesday. The soldier tried to schedule the surgery a couple of different times over the last year, he added.
The surgery was performed at a civilian hospital in Pennsylvania, McCarthy said.
McCarthy said he did not have any more information on this specific case since the Defense Health Agency handled the waiver and he was just informed of it Tuesday.
The Obama administration in summer 2016 lifted the ban on transgender troops serving openly.
In July, President Trump tweeted that he would ban transgender troops from serving, and in August, issued a memo prohibiting the military from enlisting transgender people and from using funds to pay for gender transition-related surgery.
Several groups filed lawsuits against the policy. Last month, a judge temporarily blocked the ban on service. The judge did not directly rule on the issue of coverage for surgery, but the ruling had the effect of allowing surgeries to proceed by telling the Pentagon to "revert to the status quo" before Trumps policy.
Asked Wednesday about communications with transgender soldiers since July, McCarthy said the working group to study transgender service ordered by Defense Secretary James Mattis has met with them.
We have communicated throughout the force about how this process was going to work. I believe the transgender working group being run by Office of Secretary of Defense [personnel and readiness], they have had discussions, interviews with soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, and that the findings are still ongoing, he said. Obviously still working, the legal aspect is in conjunction with the courts. This process is still ongoing, but we have a legal track, we have an internal policy formulation, so we still have a ways to go with this process.
The number of transgender soldiers awaiting surgery is unclear.
Army Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey said the number is in flux as the soldiers talk with their doctors about the right course of treatment.
Its not a definitive number because every soldier has a different case, Dailey said. Each one of those individuals works that care plan through their provider.
Turn out the lights folks...The brainwashing is TOTAL. Staggers the imagination.
Let’s have a great military meritocracy where the taxpayers don’t have to pay for unnecessary surgery. If that’s what someone wants, thank for your interest and go do something else.
I missed gender transition in the Constitution.
Trump could force his resignation tomm
Nice try General Miley. Just because we all share certain civil rights, there is no constitutionally-protected, god-given right to serve in the military. Your job is keep the military edge finely honed, not play word games about imagined rights.
Unless, of course, you want Uncle Sugar to pay for your self-mutilation, and then we get our the checkbook!
My issue is simple - to sign up and expect multi-thousand dollar special treatment is beyond scandalous. It is immoral, destabilizing, and should be illegal. The Army just rescinded the idea of waivers for self-mutilating mentally ill people, but this general is promoting self-mutilation by way of military-paid doctor.
We know which pill this douchebag swallowed.
Shameful. Explain to the men who write the constitution that it was used to justify the Army paying to mutilate a perverts genitals.
Deeply embedded. Like these Swamp creatures.
We all, everyone in uniform, we took an oath; we took an oath of allegiance to the Constitution, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters at the Defense Writers Group in response to a question from The Hill. And embedded within that Constitution is an idea, and its an idea that says you and I, no matter whether youre male or female, gay or straight or anything else, whether youre black or youre white or whether youre Protestant or youre Catholic or youre Jew or youre Muslim or you dont believe at all, it doesnt matter if youre rich or poor or famous it doesnt matter. None of that matters.”
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No where in the Constitution is the idea embedded that taxpayers should pay for the delusions of those who can’t face the reality of their own biology.
So which PT standards will they be held to?
It is the only way were are going to get rid of this jackassery.
There must be a wholesale cleanup in our military brass. It became dangerously contaminated during the Obama fiasco. He fired many faithful military leaders and replaced them with weaklings. They have to be fired and replaced with traditional military men.
We are gonners.
Sheesh. This guy makes Maxine Waters look coherent.
Same with this Army chief. He would rather have the Army & country destroyed rather than be called bigoted or transgenderphobic.
Ten Hut! Jones, report to infirmary. Your gender has been reassigned!
How does allowing transgender to serve equate to having the government pay for it?
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