Is the military jettisoning 'don't ask, don't tell?

It truly is a human tragedy for all those gay soldiers who are discharged, a disgrace to the US, and is hurtful to the war on terror.

For the fourth month in a row the military has failed to meet its recruitment quotas and less than one-quarter of all discharges under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” are from units deployed in support of war operations, suggesting the services are far less likely to discharge gays and lesbians serving on the frontlines when replacement troops are hard to come by.

Nevertheless, the military discharged 653 men and women in 2004 under the gay ban - many of them critical specialists.

A survey, released Monday by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, shows that discharges include at least 41 healthcare professionals, 30 sonar and radar specialists, 20 combat engineers, 17 law enforcement agents, 12 security guards and 7 biological and chemical warfare specialists who were fired because of sexual orientation. At least 9 language specialists were also discharged.

“The military continues to sacrifice national security and military readiness in favor of simple prejudice,” said SLDN Executive Director C. Dixon Osburn.

“Americans do not care if the helicopter pilot rescuing a wounded soldier or the medic treating that soldier is gay. Lesbian and gay service members have a valuable role to play on the home front and the frontlines. Their continued discharge weakens our national defense.”