A retired military commander hits the nail on the head about Don't Ask Don't Tell

From the Los Angeles Times

One view I've heard from my fellow veterans is that openly serving gays and lesbians will disrupt the order and discipline of the armed forces. It's true that unrestrained sexual conduct can be disruptive. I know this because in the course of my service, I saw many heterosexuals whose lifestyles were extremely disruptive to good order and conduct. But this is a matter of character, not of sexuality. In the military, disciplined self-control is essential to mission success. All who serve -- gay or straight -- should be judged by the same high standards.

The idea that gays will pose new health risks is equally absurd. At the end of the Vietnam War, I was a young first lieutenant flying the venerable F-4 Phantom jet. Our squadron was based in the Philippines. One of my collateral duties was to serve as venereal disease control officer. As far as I know, we had no gays in our squadron then, but the venereal disease rate was horrendous, at one time reaching 50% in a 300-man squadron. The rate of infection was devastating, as troops who were being treated were not fixing jets. Our readiness sagged as a direct result. Since then, all of the services have worked hard to provide leadership, education and medical resources, which has greatly reduced the rate of infection. Preventing illness -- including sexually transmitted ones -- is a leadership issue first.