Oct 26th, 2005
Support Our [Heterosexual] Troops
As the U.S. pauses to acknowledge 2000 soldiers dead in Iraq, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has released a statement that 25 of them may have been gay.We have no way to measure this for certain, since “don’t ask, don’t tell” means non-heterosexuality cannot be officially reported or documented — unless someone is being discharged, of course.
That’s 25 Americans whose sacrifice to this country was no less than the others who died with them. Twenty-five Americans who were no less courageous. Back in the States, there are at least 25 families whose grief is no less. Families whose sleepless nights continue now that their greatest fear has been realized.
The difference, however, is that the families of gay soldiers have zero support. They cannot partake in spousal support groups. They cannot get help from the local organizations that assist military families. They will see no military benefit packages to help their families survive financially. They are even denied the dignity of having someone from the military come to their door to inform them their loved one was killed in action. (Same-sex spouses and non-biological children of soldiers are at the mercy of legally-recognized family such as parents or siblings to pass on the news, which might not even happen if relationships in families of origin are strained or non-existent.)
We civilians are fed the heart-warming stories on the news of soldiers who were given a great morale boost because some corporate sponsor or another hooked up a satellite phone or otherwise helped those serving in the military hear their loved ones say “we’re proud of you” and “we love you.” Gay families don’t have that little luxury. Gay servicemembers serve in silence, never allowed to have such morale boosts, anxious that someone will “out” them, and haunted by the constant fear that upon their death, their family will be ignored by the military.
Personally, I have no understanding as to why gay people want to be a part of a system that degrades them so deeply. Still, my opinion on the issue does not change the fact that gay servicemembers continue to serve and they continue to die. Americans should be ashamed of how we allow gay servicemembers to be dishonored while they are serving and after they die.
Support Our Troops, indeed.
The sad part is that many gay servicemembers don’t realize they’re gay when they join (since many join so young). Thanks for highlighting this important issue.
[...] Support Our [Heterosexual] Troops [...]