Quote:
Originally Posted by Backbeach Jake
It's none of my business what someone's sexual preference is unless they tell me. The gay men and women that I've had the priviledge to work with were all stellar in their performance and good company , too. I really do not understand why this is an issue other than fear.
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Backbeach, I can only assume you didn't read any of my posts. I am not afraid of homosexuals.
Combat command is a little different than working in an office. You simply cannot be an effective combat commander if there is any sense among your men that decisions might be based on sexual attraction. If I was gay when I was in the USMC, and I had a crush on one of my privates, I might be inclined to consistently select others for dangerous assignments. Once my men suspect that, I'm done as an effective commander.
It has nothing to do with fear. It has to do with fair, especially when life and death are on the line. If I tell a private that he has to kick down a door and secure a house, he has the right to know for certain that I'm not picking him because I want to protect the other guy in the squad that I have a crush on. It would be difficult for me to imagine that a leader could send someone into harm's way that they had feelings for. That sexual chemistry makes objectivity harder to come by. It might not make objecticity impossible, but it makes it harder. Combat is hard enough without needlessly making it harder, just for the sake of political correctness.