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Don't ask, don't tell? Ask those who've
fought in Iraq or Afghanistan about the Pentagon's move to consider
letting gays serve openly, and it's clear that the ranks are still
split, even if polls find growing acceptance of homosexuality in
American culture.


      The Army's official Facebook site has been swamped with hundreds
of comments, pro and con, since Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee Tuesday that it's
wrong to require gays to "lie about who they are" to defend their
country. It's unclear which people posting on the site are
currently serving, veterans or nonmilitary.


      While active-duty troops are cautious about commenting because
of a ban on publicly opposing Pentagon policies, several veterans
contacted by The Associated Press spoke more freely, landing on
both sides of the debate.


      "I've known some gay soldiers," said Zach Choate, 26, who
served in a cavalry unit of the Army's 10th Mountain Division until
2008, when he was wounded in Iraq. "They want to be in the fight
just as well and they should."


      Choate, of Cartersville, Ga., said he either knew or suspected
some soldiers he served with were gay, but it was never an issue
for him or other members of his unit. Still, he anticipates a "big
fuss" among the ranks of a military "full of so much
testosterone."


      So does Scott Fair, a former Army helicopter flight engineer,
who posted a strong objection to repealing "don't ask, don't
tell" on the Army's Facebook page, saying straight service members
shouldn't be forced to share sleeping quarters and showers with
those who are openly gay.

      In a phone interview, 30-year-old Fair, of San Antonio, Texas,
said he had a troubling experience as a young private when a
higher-ranking male soldier propositioned him in a California
barracks room. Fair, of San Antonio, Texas, said he reported the
incident to their commanders, who took no action.


      "I wouldn't, as a soldier, feel comfortable knowing people
around me were openly gay," said Fair, who left the Army in 2001.
"It's more of a keep-it-to-yourself atmosphere in the Army. For
somebody to go around flaunting their sexuality is going to make a
lot of people more uncomfortable."

      Leo Dunson of Las Vegas, a former Army infantry sergeant and
Iraq vet, said allowing gays to serve openly would undermine the
close bond soldiers need to fight effectively as a unit.


      "I can definitely speak for the infantry and say they're not
going to be cool with it," said Dunson, 24, who left the Army in
2008. "These are grunts, ground-pounding guys. They're not gonna
be thinking, I want to have a homosexual."


      But Warren Arbury of Savannah, Ga., says he knows from
experience most service members don't mind. During his seven years
and three combat deployments in the Army, the former sergeant
insists most of his Army colleagues knew he was gay.


      "Was I flagrant about my sexuality at work? No," said Arbury,
27, who now works as handyman while attending college on the GI
Bill. "But I wasn't in the closet either. Everybody knew."

      "Don't ask, don't tell" finally caught up with Arbury in 2008,
and cost him his military career. He says a male soldier he'd dated
fell into legal trouble, and responded by naming gay soldiers with
whom he'd had relationships. That included Arbury, who was pulled
out of Iraq and swiftly given an honorable discharge.

      Arbury said he'd love to re-enlist if the ban is lifted.

      "In an instant, I would go back at the lowest ranking, I would
go back as a private," he said. "That's what I was born to do."


      Associated Press writers Alfred de Montesquiou in southern
Afghanistan; Melissa Nelson in Pensacola, Fla.; and Kevin Maurer in
Wilmington, N.C., contributed to this story.

      Russ Bynum has covered the military based in Georgia since
2001.

Gallery

Don't ask, don't tell? Ask those who've
fought in Iraq or Afghanistan about the Pentagon's move to consider
letting gays serve openly, and it's clear that the ranks are still
split, even if polls find growing acceptance of homosexuality in
American culture.


Issue of gays in military still splits the ranks

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