Why are the Marines the military's biggest backers of 'don't ask, don't tell'?
By
Ed O'Keefe
Tammy S. Schultz is director of national security and joint warfare at the U.S. Marine Corps War College. She writes in The Post's Sunday Outlook about the reportedly higher level of concern and opposition in the Marine Corps to ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Schultz will answer your questions on Monday at 11 a.m. ET:
After 17 years, "don't ask, don't tell" may finally be on its way out. Even if the Senate resists the latest efforts to end the policy, it appears that most members of the military - from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on down - support the law's repeal.
But there's one part of the military where resistance is greater than in any other: the United States Marine Corps.
That is clear from early reports about a survey sent to 400,000 active duty and reserve service members on "don't ask, don't tell" that will be officially released next month. More than 70 percent of respondents, spanning all branches of the military, said the effect of repealing the prohibition on openly gay troops would be positive, mixed or nonexistent. But about 40 percent of the Marine Corps respondents expressed concern about lifting the ban.
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By
Ed O'Keefe
| November 21, 2010; 11:10 AM ET
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From The Pages of The Post, Military
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