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 Military Using Convicted Felons To Replace
Drummed Out Gays
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: April 21, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET
(Washington) Newly released data show that the
Army and the Marine Corp, under pressure to increase their numbers, have sharply
raised the number of recruits who have felony convictions.
The information, released Monday by the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee, shows that the number of soldiers
admitted to the Army with felony records jumped from 249 in 2006 to 511 in 2007.
And the number of Marines with felonies rose from 208 to 350.
The bulk of the crimes involved were burglaries,
other thefts, and drug offenses, but nine involved sex crimes and six involved
manslaughter or vehicular homicide convictions. Several dozen Army and Marine
recruits had aggravated assault or robbery convictions, including incidents
involving weapons.
The use of felons to the fill the ranks comes as
2 people every day are dropped from the military for being gay under "Don't
Ask, Don't Tell" the ban on gays serving openly in the armed services.
In the 10 years that DADT has been in force more
than 10,000 personnel have been discharged as a result of thed policy, including
800 with skills deemed 'mission critical,' such as pilots, combat engineers, and
linguists.
The number of gay men and lesbians turned way by
military recruiters is unknown.
A study conducted last year for SLDN concluded
that the U.S. military could attract as many as 41,000 new recruits if gays and
lesbians in the military were able to be open about their sexual orientation.
Legislation to repeal DADT is before Congress.
The Military Readiness Enhancement Act has bipartisan support but is unlikely to
get out of committee during this election year, but hearings could be held.
Last week, Lawrence J. Korb,former Assistant
Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan, told a joint hearing of the
House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and the House Armed
Services Readiness Subcommittee Korb to "get rid of outmoded social
restrictions," such as DADT.
"First, repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
policy," Korb told the joint hearing.
"The Army and Marine Corps cannot afford to
place unnecessary obstacles in the way of qualified men and women who want to
serve."
Last year former Secretary of Defense William
Cohen and retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili also
called for the ban to be repealed. (story)
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Chairman Henry Waxman, who released the data Monday on felons in the military,
said: "Concerns have been raised that the significant increase in the
recruitment of persons with criminal records is a result of the strain put on
the military by the Iraq war and may be undermining military readiness."
©365Gay.com 2008
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