listen stooopid schwuler... if you didn't want the reporters, then why did you CALL THEM???
HA ha...
and the RATS take another one in the...
Posted on 08/25/2006 7:12:02 PM PDT by Mr. Blonde
As a set of identical twins from Spencer, Okla., Robert and Michael Cich both have dark hair, similar facial features and are both interested in joining the military.
Michael Cich went to Oklahoma City to join the Army on Wednesday, but wasn’t allowed to enlist.
He is a an advertising senior and president of OSU’s Sexual Orientation Diversity Association, and has been openly gay for about six years.
“It was a horrible day just for myself personally,” he said.
Everyone involved in the recruitment process handled themselves professionally, but the day didn’t go as he had expected, Cich said.
He planned to go to the recruitment office and openly disclose his sexual orientation.
“I guess I just saw something in my head – I pictured something that it was just going to be quiet,” Cich said.
He knew members of the media would be there, but thought they would stay outside while he was in the office.
When Cich entered the office, he was followed in by a “media circus-like event,” he said.
“Everyone kind of rushed in — all the reporters rushed in — that was overwhelming, personally. I wanted to have that one-on-one moment with the recruiter,” he said.
Cich said it was awkward having reporters in the room while he was interviewing for a job.
“You have all these people on your back, and it’s a lot of pressure,” he said. “I think because of that, it made it uncomfortable for the people in the recruiting office.”
Cich said he was told someone from the Army’s public affairs office would speak with him and to wait at the recruitment office for about 15 minutes. After multiple phone calls from the recruitment office to the public affairs office, he was told they had “made the decision.” The public affair officer wasn’t coming.
“There was no need for them to come speak with me or the media because the process was over,” Cich said. “The recruiter was very sympathetic. He said, ‘We never asked you about your orientation.’”
While he was never asked his sexual orientation, he wouldn’t be able to “hide the fact that I was gay because I would talk about my loved one.”
“It was so hellish to be in the closet and then having the very thought to go back in is just too much,” he said. “And plus I’m kind of a person who advocates a quality and being comfortable with yourself. If I were to go in, I’d be condoning lying.”
With him that day was his brother, Robert, who is straight.
Cich said his brother Robert has been interested in joining the military for most of his life and was a “military nerd” growing up.
Cich said it’s “frustrating that he can walk off the street and have this career and be taken care of.”
“Here is someone who is physically identical — just as physically fit, just as intelligent — and he could walk off the street and be fully enlisted into the service,” he said. “Just because my sexual orientation, I’d be denied that. That to me is the most ironic thing.”
Cich has not only been supported by his family during the process, but also a group called Soulforce.
The group advances “freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance,” according to its Web site.
Soulforce, through their Right to Serve campaign, offers support to gays who want to join the military.
Carl Burman, a member of the OSU Army ROTC program, said he didn’t think Michael Cich’s approach would cause much change.
“They’re making a statement, but I don’t think it’s going to really get anywhere, just by going to them and telling them they’re openly gay,” Burman said. “I think they should set up a meeting with a higher-up in the army.”
Eric Reitan, OSU’s SODA co-adviser, said there’s a difference between people hearing about the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and seeing the actions taken like those of Cich and the group Soulforce.
“It’s one thing to say in theory this is a problematic policy but here we see the policy in action, preventing people from enlisting in the military,” Reitan said. “It’s turning people away who want to serve their country based on an unchosen fact about themselves.”
The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, also known as U.S. Code, Title 10, Section 654, went into effect in February 1994, said Douglas Smith, the public affairs officer at U.S. Army Recruiting Headquarters in Fort Knox, Ky.
“The policy before that was that people who were attempting to enlist in any of the services were asked their sexual orientation,” Smith said. “After the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy went into effect in 1994, recruiters no longer asked any questions about a person’s sexual orientation.”
Smith said the policy “pretty well spells it out.”
“Don’t publicly state that you’re gay or lesbian on the part of the service member,” Smith said. “And for other service members, the policy should be don’t ask. Don’t go asking fellow soldiers, or sailors, or airmen or marines whether or not they’re gay.”
When a person is unable to join the Army, ROTC or any other branch of the military, the recruitment offices are following a federal law, and any changes to the policy would have to be done through legislation by an elected official, not anyone in the Army, said Bob Rosenburgh, public affairs officer western region, cadet command.
“A change would have to happen through legislation,” Rosenburgh said. “We are obligated to follow whatever legislation is active. It serves little purpose to use the ROTC program to affect a change. The elected officials would be the people able to make that change.”
Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Maine wrote the Military Readiness Act of 2005, which was referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel on March 17, 2005, according to the Library of Congress.
The act is “to amend title 10, United States Code, to enhance the readiness of the Armed Forces by replacing the current policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, referred to as `Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ with a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” according to the act.
Cich said there are about 65,000 people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual serving, and of that number about 11,000 people have been discharged after their sexual orientation was disclosed.
“That’s a one in six chance of losing your job — that’s a lot of pressure, that’s a lot of fear,” Cich said. “That’s a lot of lying. I couldn’t lie to the people I was working with.”
The military services separated about 9,500 service members for homosexual conduct, representing .4 percent of the 2.37 million members separated for all reasons during the 1994-2003 fiscal years, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Smith said he wanted to “make it clear we do not ask a potential applicant about their sexual orientation. However, if an applicant in the course of the interview brings up the fact that they’re gay, lesbian or bisexual then we have to stop processing for enlistment and explain that we’re unable to process them for enlistment due to the Department of Defense policies.”
Cich said he could think of five people who are gay who have served in the military or are currently serving.
“I would say that there have been gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people fighting for this country since the very beginning. Being gay isn’t a new thing,” Cich said.
Cich said people who are gay “have given their lives just like their straight counterparts.”
“Them being gay doesn’t erase the fact that they fought and died for our country,” Cich said.
Huh? We had queers and fairies at Valley Forge? I DON'T THINK SO!
False tears. The media will buy his drama queen act.
Set up from start to finish. In other words a media phot op for the agenda.
Allow active duty military people vote on whether or not to let them in and watch the results. I'd say 90 - 10 against. (Just a guess)
i agree,this is just more candy assed nonsense from the left.
listen stooopid schwuler... if you didn't want the reporters, then why did you CALL THEM???
My first thought also!!! And Cich, dear, how did the big bad waporters get there??? You told them ???? Well, Cichie, if you call them, they will come.
DUH!!!!!
Can't you all just see the recruiting poster for this?? Remember that poster of the girl in the sailor suit, can't you just imagine Cich's picture in a provative, flirty pose saying "Gee, I wish I was a MAN, I'd join the Navy!"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
They may have been there but they sure as hell didn’t tell anyone!
Yeah, I'll bet.....he called them himself......somebody needed more attention.
"Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Maine "
Actually he is from Massachusetts, but I dodn't expect a reporter in the midwest would know the differnce.
That is the major problem and it goes beyond the gay "community." We are supposed to allow for whatever problem a person has -- all that matters is that the person "feels comfortable with himself." We are supposed to applaud someone's "self-esteem" while he is free to break rules everyone else follows. I get tired of the "it's all about me and my self-esteem" attitude. Part of life is learning to not be comfortable with oneself in order to grow rather than basing one's self-esteem on one's defects.
There was a story last week that the Gay activists were going to try to enlist enmasse to bring attention to the issue.
Big set up and a drain on overworked recruiters.
the law of unintended consequences... 8^)
Guess what bud, you have a mental illness. The US military doesn't take anyone with major physical or mental disabilities. Life sucks then ya die. Get over it.
What a poofter.
Dang...I can totally picture the wrist swish to go with *that* sentence.
The rules, buddy. You can read them and then decide if you are going to follow them. If you choose NOT to follow them, then don't be surprised when you are turned away.
Waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Keep dreaming. There's actually a fairly well documented history of women passing as men to enlist as both Union and CSA soldiers. And sorry but queers have always been around man, they didn't just spring to life in the 60s so they were surely there.
Aaaawwwww....
(p on you, faggot)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.