This letter is in response to the April 14 editorial "Discriminatory policy needs to be reversed."

I'm a Veteran of the 82nd Airborne, served during the first gulf war and am a Penn State graduate. I always get a kick out of naive activist liberals and kids who never served, but think they know best how to run the military. The armed forces aren't the DMV, you can not run the two as if they're the same.

The military's first job is training for combat and war so as to protect us all, not serve the liberal agenda of the Collegian and other leftist's social engineering experiments and goals. Homosexuality isn't proven to be genetically based and therefore isn't a protected class. When I served, it was possible that others were homosexuals, but it was best for the units combat readiness that if so, that not be public information. Even if many people serving weren't openly hostile towards homosexuals in the military, and even if you thought the rules should discipline that hostility, (which isn't the mission of the military in the first place), you would invite a whole new mess of problems into the mix, such as:

1. Increased levels sexually transmitted diseases, proven to be higher in the homosexual community; would I have to think twice about accepting someone's blood in combat?

2. Fraternization: Combat units are male only; romantic relationships inside such units would damage their readiness and ability to react as trained as opposed to romantic reflex. in close quarters other soldiers do not want to be eyed over, or deal with other guys making out or what have you. This isn't some government day job where you can "get away" if you want. In short, my advice is this: Serve first, then you have the credibility to have an opinion, either way. But until then, until you've served, when it comes to this policy and your opinion on it, I won't ask, and you shouldn't tell.

Mike Walsh

Class of 2003