So, should gays be allowed to serve in the U.S. military?

A lot has been said about gays and their service to country in the past few weeks in response to President Barack Obama’s promise to repeal the 1993 federal “don’t ask, don’t tell” law barring gays from military service. And regardless of whether the point made is about the law or the fallout from such a change, the bottom line remains: Should gays be allowed to serve in the military?

But first, it should be clear that the law bans those who have said they are gay or bisexual, if it is proven they have taken part in homosexual acts or if they have attempted to take part in gay marriage.

The law eliminated long-standing restrictions on homosexuality that had previously allowed questions on sexual orientation on military recruitment forms.

The federal restrictions against homosexuals have been, according to the laws, in place to maintain military unit cohesion. Members of the country’s military are routinely asked to accept living conditions that are “sparse, primitive and characterized by forced intimacy with little or no privacy,” and thus gays would “create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability,” the law states.

The law also states that the ban on homosexuality has long been “necessary in the unique circumstances of military service.”

According to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Obama administration is currently undergoing a yearlong study on how to implement the repeal. And Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said he does not know “how we would best make such a major policy change in a time of two wars.”

So the logistics of such a plan is still up in the air. And, so is the date we will see the end to the wars we are fighting, which are actually a joint war on terrorism, which may end, like the Cold War threatened, with our mutual destruction.

Retired Marine Corps officer Oliver North called such a repeal of the law an “inane decision on readiness, recruitment and retention in the world’s finest military.” North also feels such a decision could potentially cause “irreparable damage” to the military.

North has been there, seen the environment of the working military, so he should know what is best for it, right?

So why is it that retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell, whose stance on gays in the military indirectly led to the adoption of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” has changed his take on the necessity of the law?

Powell notes that acceptance of gays and lesbians in society has increased since then and says, “Society is always reflected in the military.”

“Attitudes and circumstances have changed,” Powell told the Washington Post earlier this month.

Powell also noted that of 28 NATO member countries, a small minority still prohibit or restrict service based on sexual orientation.

I wouldn’t be touching this subject unless I, like Powell and North, had served in the military. To understand how this repeal would affect the military, one must have an understanding of how the military works.

Soldiers, Marines, airmen and seamen are told they must follow the rules at hand or face consequences – that is the case in every aspect of the military.

I saw white supremacists kicked out of the military for taking part in hate crimes and I saw black gang members kicked out of the military for taking part in hate crimes.

I have seen men kicked out of the military for refusing to go on, which in wartime would have been a detriment to those around him. Marines are taught to leave no one behind.

The Marine Corps, as other branches of the military, is a brotherhood that includes men and women, blacks and whites, Hispanics and Asians. It wasn’t always that way but change came.

The common thread has been akin to the Marine Corps’ motto, “semper fidelis.” Those in the Marine Corps have remained loyal to one another, no matter what the background. It didn’t always work out smoothly – I hated one of my roommates, not for what he was or what he did in his relationships, but for what he did to me and to others in the group – but in wartime, I could push aside our differences to watch his back. And he would, too, if he wanted to better his chances of defeating the enemy, aka, stay alive.

The law, like Powell says, appears outdated in saying that allowing homosexuals to serve openly would negatively affect morale and discipline. This is an important point because of the group mentality the military encourages.

If a majority of those around you encourage assaulting gays, then gays will be assaulted, as would have been the case during my time in the service in the early 90s. If the majority accepts gays, then those who do them harm will be cast out by the group.

And lastly, to the original point: Should gays be allowed to serve in the military?

Well … why should they have it any easier than the rest of us?

Those who picked up arms and truthfully promised to be there in my time of need were my brothers then, now and until the day I die.

– Marcial Guajardo