Military Professionalism - United States Air Force Academy

Lindsay, James J., Joseph J. Went, Jerome Johnson, E. G. Shuler Jr. “Gays and the
Military: A Bad Fit.” The Washington Post (Apr. 15, 2009).
The officers who wrote this article claim that allowing homosexuals to serve openly in
the military would cause a large number of officers and enlisted men to leave the
military. The U.S. cannot afford this loss while involved in two wars. These officers
believe that repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” statute would undermine recruiting and
retention, affect leadership at all echelons, have adverse effects on the willingness of
parents who lend their sons and daughters to military service, eventually breaking the allvolunteer
force.
McHugh, John. Statement by Army Secretary John McHugh. Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Apr. 1, 2010.
http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13426
McHugh states that “don’t ask, don’t tell” statute remains the law of the land and that he
was incorrect to say that there was a moratorium on discharging homosexual service
members. The Army will continue to uphold this law.
McMichael, William H. “Study Argues for Quick Repeal of Gay Policy.” Army
Times (Feb. 25, 2010).
A study by Nathaniel Frank of the Palm Center found that in Britain, Canada, Australia,
South Africa, and Israel allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military improved
the command climate, decreased harassment, helped retain critical personnel, and
enhanced respect for privacy. He says there is no operational justification for another
year-long study. Since the 1993 Rand study, various groups have been reaching the same
conclusion that repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” will not harm military readiness.
Michael D. Almy, Anthony J. Loverde, and Jason D. Knight (Plaintiffs) v. U.S.
Department of Defense, Robert M. Gates, Department of the Air Force, Michael B.
Donley, Department of the Navy, and Ray Mabus, United States District Court,
Northern District of California (Dec. 13, 2010).
http://www.sldn.org/page/-/Website/Almy%20BACKUP%20Complaint.pdf
“This is a civil action to reinstate plaintiffs Michael D. Almy and Anthony J. Loverde
into active duty in the United States Air Force, and to reinstate plaintiff Jason D. Knight
into active duty in the United States Navy, following the plaintiffs’ unlawful discharges
from their respective branches of the military by defendants on account of the federal law
colloquially known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” concerning gay, lesbian, and bisexual
armed forces service members (“DADT”). This action is also brought to declare
unconstitutional the discharges of plaintiffs Almy, Loverde, and Knight under DADT,
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