I spent a few decades in the military, it is NOT a democracy regardless of your rank, when the decisions come down from the mountain (the Pentagon) you say Yes Sir!!! three bags full and carry the order out, wether you like it or not, you do not go public and speak out to newspapers, television stations, or even to the troops you command.
You keep your opinions to yourself, and carry out your orders, or you resign, retire. Then open your mouth as a free American, in the military, you do not criticize the Secretary of Defense or the President of the United States the military Commander in Chief, if you can NOT follow your orders/instructions then you leave, it has always been this way.
The most famous case of this was, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, he did not agree with the Pentagon. Because he out ranked everyone in it he felt he was not beholden to their opinions, but he forgot he still had to obey President Truman. His conduct during the Korean War led President Truman to fire him and he retired, he had written a letter, I believe to the American Legion and President Truman ordered him to retract it. Where he spoke ill of the Presidents foreign policy, General MacArthur did retract the letter and this incident may have been one of the major reasons General Eisenhower was elected President in November 1952
There are several Generals speaking out against the new expectations regarding DADT, and I was shocked to see it was more than just the Commandant of the Marine Corp which I heard on MSNBC this morning private rooms needed for Marine Corp
The Marine Corps' commandant said he won't force his troops to bunk with gays on base and would give them separate rooms if Congress votes to allow openly gay service.The comment, by Gen. James Conway, is the latest pushback by a small but vocal faction of senior military leaders opposed to a repeal of the 1993 law known as "don't ask, don't tell."
President Barack Obama says the ban is unfair, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates has launched a lengthy study to determine how to allow gays to serve openly without hurting military effectiveness. Among the questions to be answered is whether changes to housing policies would even be necessary.
Conway, a known opponent of repealing the law, suggested in an interview published Friday by Military.com that he already knows it would be a logistical hurdle. On base, Marines typically bunk two-to-a-room.
"I would not ask our Marines to live with someone who is homosexual if we can possibly avoid it," he said. "And to me that means we have to build BEQs (bachelor enlisted quarters) and have single rooms," he said.
But this following story is the most appalling Hawaii-based general out of line on gay issue LTG Mixon is the general in charge of all Army troops in the Pacific, which means Hawaii's 25th Infantry Division, the 8th Army in Korea, the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea and I am not sure but he might even be in charge of the Alaskan troops at the Army bases there. In plain language he is one of the most powerful 3 star Generals the Army has, he was all but guaranteed making his 4th star until this.
In a March 8 letter to the editor of the Stars and Stripes military newspaper, Mixon called President Barack Obama's call for repeal of the law mandating the "don't ask, don't tell" policy "ill-advised," and urged readers who agree with him to "write your elected officials and chain of command and express your views. If those of us who are in favor of retaining the current policy do not speak up, there is no chance to retain the current policy."
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a news conference Thursday that it was inappropriate for an officer -- especially of Mixon's three-star rank and stature -- to publicly challenge the president's priorities. Army officers were given "very specific direction" on toeing the line on repeal, he said.
"The answer is not advocacy," Mullen stated. "It is, in fact, to vote with your feet."
Mullen made his remarks as Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the terms of "fairer and more appropriate" enforcement of the 1993 congressional ban on gays and lesbian serving in the military while being open about their sexual orientation. Gates said the changes are "an important improvement in the way the law is put into practice," short of repealing it.
Admiral Mullen is right, LTG Mixon is wrong and needs to retract his statement and apologize to the President, or to submit his retirement papers for immediate retirement. There are no other options, at no time is the military a democracy, you obey the orders of those above you, even the Generals and the Admirals, we do not have military junta's in this nation and we can NOT allow this type of idea to even blossom. The military must be kept under civilian control, if they don't like the rules, retire or resign, you do not go public and ask your troops to denounce the statements and decisions made by the Secretary of defense or the President of the United States.
LTG Mixon it is now time for you to do the right thing and write your letter, a request for retirement, your mouth wrote a check your azz can't cash.