Gays in the Military

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The issue regarding a homosexual’s right to serve openly in the armed forces of the United States has become quite a controversial topic over the past few months. It started with President Obama’s first State of the Union address, in which he pledged to repeal the current “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that was put in place in 1993 by congress under President Clinton, in which gays are allowed to serve in the military as long as they do not disclose their sexual orientation. Recently, Obama has made good on his promise of “change”, and brought the debate on whether or not to repeal the DADT policy to congress and it is currently under review. If the policy is repealed, it would allow for gays to serve openly in the armed forces; which …show more content…

There is another very good reason why the United States military has, since its beginning, placed strong restriction on homosexual behavior within its ranks, and it is that homosexual behavior has been proven to quickly destroy unit cohesion and deteriorate the morale of troops on the battlefield. The reason for this is best illustrated using two Greek words used to describe different kinds of love. The first being the word philia, which refers to friendship, comradeship or brotherly love; and the other being eros, which refers to sexual, intimate love. Philia love is typically formed between soldiers on the battlefield who are facing difficult situations together. It is the bond of brotherly or sisterly love and is non-sexual or exclusive. It is essential to unit cohesion and adds to the morale of troops who are serving together side by side. It is the Philia love that promotes courage in the face of danger, and selfless acts of heroism that adds to battlefield military effectiveness. Military commanders spend a great deal of time encouraging soldiers to bond with one another to strengthen cohesion within the group as whole. On the other hand, eros love actually has an adverse effect on unit cohesion and morale as it promotes jealousy, and selfish behavior within the unit. Eros love, unlike philia love, is typically formed between two individuals and places the needs of those individuals above that of the military unit as a

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