Reply #36: More on the dangerous stupidity of expelling gays from the military:

[Nothing Without Hope]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/213588_gaysnew25.html
Friday, February 25, 2005

Pentagon policy on gays forced out skilled troops
About 300 linguists have left because of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' GAO says
By BRYAN BENDER
THE BOSTON GLOBE

WASHINGTON -- More than 300 foreign-language specialists considered critical in the war on terrorism have been forced out of the military in the past decade because of their sexual orientation, according to the first government study to assess both the war-fighting and financial effect of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy prohibiting openly gay service members.

These soldiers had "some skills in an important foreign language, such as Arabic, Farsi and Korean," according to a report by the Government Accountability Office to be published next month. At least 54 of the 322 language specialists spoke Arabic -- more than twice as many as previous estimates. At the same time, more than 400 other soldiers discharged under the policy had what the Pentagon considers "critical occupations," including Navy code breakers, Army intelligence specialists and interrogators, Air Force air traffic controllers and Marine counterintelligence specialists.

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"The conventional justification for Don't Ask, Don't Tell has been that allowing gays to serve undermines military readiness," Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., and a member of the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. "Now we have the numbers to prove that the policy itself is undermining our military readiness."

(snip)

The UCSB center was the first to report that nearly 10,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen were ordered out of the military under the ban, taking with them many of the same skills that are now in short supply. The study by the GAO, which is the investigative arm of Congress, is the first detailed examination of the effects of the ban on gays in the military and the related costs.

(snip)

Much more in this excellent, fact-filled article. A good resource to add to the documentation for reframing the national debate on gay rights.