Posted on 03/24/2011 11:35:42 AM PDT by ColdOne
A group of gay troops and veterans says 261 service members were discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2010.
President Obama signed the law repealing the military’s policy that barred gays from serving openly in the military in December. But before, Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a directive in October making it more difficult for service members to be discharged under the rule.
Alexander Nicholson, the executive director of Servicemembers United, said though the numbers are at an all-time low, last year’s tally is unusually high considering Gates’s mid-year directive.
"Despite this law clearly being on its deathbed at the time, 261 more careers were terminated and 261 more lives were abruptly turned upside down because this policy,” said Nicholson, whose group obtained documents showing the discharges.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
They knew the rules when they signed up. If they broke them...Out, out damn spot...
A large percentage, and in recent years the overwhelming percentage of service members who are separated because of DADT, we're separated at their own initiative - IOW, they came out specifically to get discharged.
“261 more lives were abruptly turned upside down”
If they were gay then their lives were already turned
upside down. I would say that these 261 were the ones that
thought they could go ahead and flaunt their perversion
“Despite this law clearly being on its deathbed at the time”.
Actually, it's not unusually high at all, when you fully understand the situation. By summer, the writing was clearly on the wall - DADT was going to be repealed.
So, to homosexuals that were looking at another deployment sometime in the future, the homosexual-card to evade that deployment was soon going to be expiring. They had to play the DADT, or lose it forever. So, some of them played it.
Back in the early 80’s I was on a destroyer tender with a significant female population. Every time we deployed there was a rash of pregnancies either just before deployment or within the first month or so.
To another poster’s point - its more than likely that these were self imposed discharges that carry little stigma once you are back home. Nobody cares why the person was discharged. Make something up and you are all set. You don’t even have to be gay - just claim you are.
Wonder what the statistic is on pregnancy just before deployment?
Agreed. What percentage of servicemembers who were discharged at their own request? Or who came out with the intent to get out of their military obligations? I’d bet a very large percentage of them.
Clearly, an outrageous and bigoted violation of homosexual rights has occurred both in the Catholic priesthood and now in the military—what is to become of this nation of intolerants. sarc
obviously we have too many people who don’t belong in the military inside. As evidenced time and time again. (see recent wikileaks) these pose high security risks.
And if its not based on homosexual conduct, the discharge MUST be characterized as honorable. That harms the discharged member how? A DD214 with “honorable” entitles the person to full veteran’s benefits.
Colonel, USAFR
Only 261? My guess 90% were false claims to get out of their contracts.
Did all 261 tell or did some ask?
And, if it’s anything like previous “discharges” under DADT, about 75-80 percent of them were folks who were S**Tbags to begin with who claimed they were gay/lesbian to avoid deployment or other service.
“They had to play the DADT, or lose it forever.”
Then some of those discharged could be cowardly heteros?
You make a great point. Getting rid of the DADT rule closes
a “get out of going too war card”.
During GW 1, the lesbians got pregnant to keep from deploying.
261 less perverts in the US Military is a good thing.
“During GW 1, the lesbians got pregnant to keep from deploying. “
...and it was not an easy task for them.
Typical—self-centered perverts using other people and ruining lives to fulfill their own selfish desires.
I also read statistics that many of these discharges had been in the initial phases of training - i.e. basic training.
Yes, that's largely true.
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