In his view, it is due to the fact that gay discharges provide an easy way out of the military, whether one is gay or not. I honestly knew that the Army did not accept homosexuals in the military, but I never thought that someone could die for being gay. It accused the general of tolerating an anti-gay climate. The letter also criticized the practice of the Navy and Air Force in trying to recoup from GIs the cost associated with training service members who are later discharged for homosexuality. Senior leadership was exonerated, including that of General Robert Clark, the former base commander and now vice director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Military commanders know that they are indispensable.
Underneath this policy lies a military institution that is unwilling to protect the basic human and civil rights of its members. The incidence of assaults, death threats and verbal gay bashing has more than doubled in the past year. Reports of asking and pursuing are way up. There is a serious lack of accountability. There are serious breakdowns in confidentiality, especially when it comes to doctors and psychologists.