Very rarely do I find myself agreeing with the military opinions published in the Collegian. As a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, I have a different perspective than many at Penn State; however, this editorial is dead on ("Gay personnel are a vital military resource," March 6). I often try to explain to people who question my motives in joining the war that it wasn't about politics, chemical weapons, Saddam or Bush. My father was in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, and although he is fine, I took the attack very personally. Even though it meant dropping out of my senior year of college, I had to go. Similarly, no matter what people at home are arguing over, war is about getting your buddies home. Accidents and firefights happen, and there are times when the only thing keeping you alive is the action of the person on your right or left -- where he or she comes from is irrelevant. No one is concerned with the name by which he calls God, and there is not a single rational person who believes sexual orientation has anything to do with ability. Clinton's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy is archaic and does not address the true nature of the military. We are a family. All of us have chosen to support a nation we love and in which we believe. That commonality makes us equals. Repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" and allowing all members of the military to serve openly and honorably is long overdue.