TBD on Ning
Let's Not Hide The Military Service of Another Group Of Americans!
On July 4th, 2009, I listened to a story on NPR regarding the Congressional Gold Medal President Obama finally presented to a group of women pilots that most Americans have never heard of: the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP.
These were the first women to fly military aircraft, and during WWII they volunteered for noncombat duty, as test pilots and trainers. The jobs were dangerous and many were killed. Even though there wore uniforms and performed their duties on military bases, they were never considered members of the military. In fact, all records pertaining to their service and contributions were sealed and deemed classified in 1944. The military thought the fact that having women pilots training men, made the men look bad.
Maj. Nicole Malachowski, the first woman to fly in the ultra- elite Thunderbirds, spent months of her own time making certain these women were finally recognized. The WASP are her personal heros.
Embarrassing the military; isn't that the same reason given for not allowing gays to serve openly in the military? Maybe it's time we educated the majority of our military instead of ignoring the rights and bravery of others who have proudly served our country. After WWII President Truman first signed an executive order desegregating basic training, then the rest of the military followed. Sixty years after their service and certainly the death of many of them, the WASP are finally allowed to shared their stories and are being recognized as an important part of American military history. They were hidden away by our military for 60 years! They should not be the deciding factor in who serves and who doesn't; they've shown their ability to make decisions that aren't in the best interest of specific groups.
It's time to quit playing games with the lives of our gay men and women who bravely and proudly want to serve America. Who is anyone to judge them? The same people who separated the blacks and the whites? The same people who hid the fact that brave Women Airforce Service Pilots risked their own lives, even though the military wouldn't even send their bodies home and wouldn't allow a flag placed over their coffins. No these aren't the people who should make a decision regarding gays in the military. By the way, Congress knew about WASP and was in favor of burying all information.
It's time for an executive order. Now.
These were the first women to fly military aircraft, and during WWII they volunteered for noncombat duty, as test pilots and trainers. The jobs were dangerous and many were killed. Even though there wore uniforms and performed their duties on military bases, they were never considered members of the military. In fact, all records pertaining to their service and contributions were sealed and deemed classified in 1944. The military thought the fact that having women pilots training men, made the men look bad.
Maj. Nicole Malachowski, the first woman to fly in the ultra- elite Thunderbirds, spent months of her own time making certain these women were finally recognized. The WASP are her personal heros.
Embarrassing the military; isn't that the same reason given for not allowing gays to serve openly in the military? Maybe it's time we educated the majority of our military instead of ignoring the rights and bravery of others who have proudly served our country. After WWII President Truman first signed an executive order desegregating basic training, then the rest of the military followed. Sixty years after their service and certainly the death of many of them, the WASP are finally allowed to shared their stories and are being recognized as an important part of American military history. They were hidden away by our military for 60 years! They should not be the deciding factor in who serves and who doesn't; they've shown their ability to make decisions that aren't in the best interest of specific groups.
It's time to quit playing games with the lives of our gay men and women who bravely and proudly want to serve America. Who is anyone to judge them? The same people who separated the blacks and the whites? The same people who hid the fact that brave Women Airforce Service Pilots risked their own lives, even though the military wouldn't even send their bodies home and wouldn't allow a flag placed over their coffins. No these aren't the people who should make a decision regarding gays in the military. By the way, Congress knew about WASP and was in favor of burying all information.
It's time for an executive order. Now.
Tags: American, family, gay, issues, politics, women's
Views: 9
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by gunsq on
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They have served. Proudly. Honorably. And they still get treated like they have some disease. It is time.
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Permalink Reply by LyndaAndLab on
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That's why it's time to stop talking about it, as if there is any creditable argument, have education classes on dealing with prejudice, because if they don't like gays, I'm betting their lists are longer, and the punishment for acts of prejudice in the military, should be swift, public and humiliating. The military has absolutely no right to decide whether or not they'll allow someone to serve this country because a soldier is upfront about their sexuality. It is discrimination, simply discrimination, and it's time our military, our government and our president get called on it.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Mentzer on
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This is an issue that should have been taken care of yesterday not tomorrow. This, in my opinion, is the biggest failing of the Obama administration. We need all the dedicated people we can muster and there are some damn good people we're losing because people want to keep it real.
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Permalink Reply by Grace Linda on
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If I am not mistaken, even if Obama announced today that gay people were allowed to serve with the words I'm gay on their uniforms, it would still not happen until the military changed many internal policies.
This is another example of how we don't really understand what the president actually has power to change and what he can merely influence.
I heard an interview on NPR of one of a reporter who was covering Obama's run for president and he said that there are many things that people attributed to Obama that he never said or promised. One of which was the gay marriage issue. -
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