Remarks Offensive to Soldiers

As the child of a retired Marine Corps Officer, Vietnam veteran, and graduate of the United States Naval Academy, I am responding to comments recently made by Brent McGuire, Policy Director of the Harvard-Radcliffe Republican Club.

In a letter to The Crimson, he stated that "the deliberate introduction of homoerotic entanglements into military units would severely compromise unity, effectiveness, and morale." If McGuire and others who share his views truly believe that these compromises would occur if homosexuals were officially accepted by the military, then it is they who are actually compromising the military's effectiveness. They do so by implying that professional soldiers, sworn to perform their duties and uphold the military's high standards of conduct, would be dissuaded from doing so because of the sexual tensions that would be introduced by the open presence of homosexuals in military units.

Surely it would take more than the presence of homosexuals to keep these fine soldiers from performing their duties. They already work alongside men and women of different races, ethnicities and religions. They put aside these differences when on duty, just as all of us should when we are in professional situations.

Anyone whose homophobia prevents him from being an effective soldier does not belong in our military. As McGuire stated, "military service is a privilege and a responsibility, not a right." If soldiers cannot handle the responsibility, their privileges should be revoked. Hollie J. Moors '93