Free Republic

Exclusive: Judith Reisman estimates true number of males sexually assaulted yearly Snip: So, how do the “charms” we call “pornography,” the hidden sin that abuses youth and maidhood, impact the military? Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Lewis and several military female victims testified to harrowing sexual abuse at a U.S. Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, March 13, 2013. Lewis stated he “was raped by a senior petty officer … told by a commander not to report it, and later was diagnosed with a personality disorder and discharged.” Lewis says, “As I demonstrated, men are a majority of the...

Colonel Tim Collins has acknowledged the possibility that a teenage soldier who allegedly committed suicide may have been a victim of a "homosexual predator" at a time when both men were under his command. The commanding officer of the 1st Bn the Royal Irish Regiment, who was internationally praised for a rousing speech before the Iraq conflict, conceded in a confidential report that he "would not have them (homosexuals) in proximity of young soldiers again" following the death of Ranger Paul Cochrane. The controversial circumstances of the 18-year-old soldier's death led to an Army board of inquiry report, chaired by...

What happened to Jeloudov is a part of life in the armed forces that hardly anyone talks about: male-on-male sexual assault. In the staunchly traditional military culture, it’s an ugly secret, kept hidden by layers of personal shame and official denial. Last year nearly 50,000 male veterans screened positive for “military sexual trauma” at the Department of Veterans Affairs, up from just over 30,000 in 2003. For the victims, the experience is a special kind of hell—a soldier can’t just quit his job to get away from his abusers. But now, as the Pentagon has begun to acknowledge the rampant...

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will nominate Army Gen. David Rodriguez to succeed Gen. Carter Ham as commander of U.S. Africa Command and Marine Lt. Gen. John Paxton to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Thursday. Both appointments must be confirmed by the Senate. Rodriguez is the commander of U.S. Army Forces Command and has served in a “variety of key leadership roles on the battlefield,” Panetta said. He’s “a proven leader” who oversaw coalition and Afghan forces during the surge in Afghanistan, and “was the key architect of the...

THE PRESIDENT’S RELIGION SHOULD THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES USE HIS POSITION AS COMMANDER-IN- CHIEF TO FORCE HIS PERSONAL MORAL VIEWS ON ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL? Historically Americans have expressed legitimate concerns that a President might use his office to promote his personal religious beliefs. From President John Kennedy in 1960, a Catholic, to 2008 Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a Mormon, candidates and presidents have been required to express a commitment not to use the office of the President and Commander-In-Chief to promote their personal moral beliefs. If President John Kennedy had tried to label anyone who rejected his...

A female solider is taking the name "Keith" as she begins the hormone treatment necessary to complete her sex change. The soldier, who says she's been married to another woman for two years, is currently deployed to Afghanistan.This shines a new light on President Obama's repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) and shows how that repeal didn't simply allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military. Rather, it politicized the military to new and unheard of levels, moving it further away from its central role as a war-fighting machine and placing it more in more in the arena of...

One year after the military began allowing gay, lesbian and bisexual service members to openly proclaim their sexuality, some conservative groups continue to call for an end to the change in policy. But their pleas are falling largely on deaf ears on Capitol Hill, where most lawmakers seem content to focus on other issues. The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty (CARL), which represents more than 2,000 chaplains serving the armed forces, said it is cataloging examples of negative consequences that have resulted from the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. After Congress voted in December 2010 for...

(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, told a West Palm Beach, Fla., television station over the weekend that he is now okay with homosexuals in the military and does not want to reverse the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. “I talked to a lot of good friends of mine who are combat leaders in the theater, and they just didn’t think the timing of this was right to do this when our troops were in the middle of harm’s way in combat,” Ryan told WPTV Saturday, when asked about the one-year anniversary...

WARNING: This post is full of sarcasm and bloviation. It reflects my own personal opinions and does necessarily reflect those of this site or any branch of government. If you are prone to calling people who disagree with homosexual conduct “bigots” you may not want to read any further. Otherwise, I’ll call you a bigot for not respecting my beliefs. Bigot! Stick and stones may break my bones...yadda yadda.Yippee! I feel like frolicking through the corn rows in those sexy Marine PT shorts and big, pink sash in celebration. I’m so excited that the military and our federal government is...

CREWS: Homosexuals in the military demand special privileges Toleration doesn’t cut both waysThe American armed forces exist to defend our nation, not to conduct social science lab experiments in which our troops serve as human subjects. Try telling that to this administration. The first anniversary of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Sept. 20, has come and gone. Now, there is mounting evidence that proves our warnings were not idle chatter. The threat to freedom posed by this radical sexual experiment on our military is real: It is grave and it is growing. Activists inside and outside our...

MIAMI -- One year after the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred openly gay and lesbian service members from serving in the military, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said in an interview with WPTV NewsChannel 5 that the controversial policy should not be reinstated. "Now that it's done, we should not reverse it," Ryan told WPTV NewsChannel 5 during a visit to Miami. "I think that would be a step in the wrong direction because people have already disclosed themselves." Ryan was one of 160 Republicans and 15 Democrats in the House of Representatives to vote...

Is Obama gay? When I first heard a few days ago that Obama might be gay, my initial reaction was, that's ridiculous. He's married, has two kids, and he's never set off my gaydar. I had read a few years ago about Larry Sinclair, who claimed he had given Obama oral sex when Obama was a state senator. But at the time I just figured that any famous person is bound to attract a few loonies who will say anything to get publicity. But after I read the article linked two posts ago (and directly below), I started reading more...

My nephew has talked of wanting to join the Army for years, which is why I was especially personally angry when Obama ended DADT and let gays into the military. I knew my nephew would still want to join even though he'd be prey for all types of attacks and be in danger because men can't trust the others in their own units. He's now a senior and still intent on a military future. He has valid arguments: he wants to serve his country and he wants to follow his grandfather's example. I admire that. But some of us in...

Rape is not just a nightmare for military women. Of the estimated 19,000 reported sexual assaults and rapes in the armed forces last year, the majority were actually committed against men. Men are assaulted at a lower rate — 1% of servicemen reported being attacked by a comrade last year versus 4.4% of women — but that still translates to more than 10,000 cases compared with 9,000 attacks on female recruits and officers.

Mitt Romney announced Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate this morning, giving us a 2012 GOP ticket that could roll back much of the progress we've seen toward full equality. Ryan’s voting record in Congress – and his public remarks – make it clear that he does not support the dignity of LGBT Americans; a matter on which he is out-of-touch with the majority of Americans – even those within the Republican Party. Paul Ryan does not support LGBT families, and has voted against allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt. He voted against hate crime protections. He...

(Arlington, VA) Army Brigadier General Tammy Smith has become the first openly gay flag officer to come out while currently serving in the U.S. military. She was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in a private ceremony which took place today at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. BG Smith received her stars from her wife, Tracey Hepner. “For years, gay and lesbian generals and admirals were forced to hide their families in order to protect their careers. It is a great day for our military and for our nation when this courageous leader is finally able to...

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Some of the loudest cheers at San Diego's gay pride parade were for active-duty troops marching in military dress. Saturday's celebration marks the first time U.S. service members are participating in a gay pride event while decked out in full uniform.

In the U.S. Air Force, the one thing leaders are throttling back is faith. When President Obama took office, his policies had a chilling effect on religion across the military--but no branch has taken Christian censorship to extremes like the Air Force. To most people, the turning point came last year after a service-wide memo from Gen. Norman Schwartz. It was a stern warning that religious favoritism and proselytizing would not be tolerated in the Force. Instead, Gen. Schwartz urged "neutrality"--which has since turned to hostility--on faith. Assaults on religion have come in almost daily waves since then, and service...

Irony of Ironies. Known as the chief prophetess for the accelerating gay craze for marital rights, and against the "epidemic" of gay bullying, Lady Gaga has been a prime motivator for the Gaying of America, which seems to have even extended into the U.S Armed Forces under Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who recently had the Pentagon, of all places, celebrate Gay Pride Week. How about a Christian Humility week, Mr. Secretary, where the once staunch man-and-wife matrimony proponent, Barack Obama, can demote anyone in the military who still believes that gayness is against God's law? I'm sure the...

Last summer, gays in the military dared not admit their sexual orientation. This summer, the Pentagon will salute them, marking June as gay pride month just as it has marked other celebrations honoring racial or ethnic groups.