DADT update: Pentagon surveys military spouses

[unhappycamper]

Pentagon surveys military spouses
By GORDON LUBOLD | 8/21/10 12:36 AM EDT

The Pentagon’s survey of military spouses on “Don’t ask, don’t tell” seeks their views on subjects ranging from how repeal would affect attendance of social events to whether their family would stay in the armed forces, according to a copy obtained by POLITICO.

Military officials this week began mailing out approximately 150,000 surveys to the spouses of military personnel on active duty and in the reserves. It is due back in September.

A copy of a Pentagon survey was provided by a member of the "Don't ask, don't tell" activist community. While the Pentagon declined to comment on the document, it resembles a government survey and was accompanied by a letter signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

“As you know, in his State of the Union address this year, President Obama called upon the Congress to repeal the law commonly known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the letter says. “Following that, I directed the Department of Defense to consider how to best implement a repeal of this law should that occur. This survey is part of that effort. Your responses to this survey will help us assess the impact of a change in the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law and policy on family readiness and recruiting and retention.”

The Pentagon is trying to get the views of military spouses as part of its review of the potential effects of repealing the 1993 ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.




unhappycamper comment: --> http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41326.html

[msongs]

1. Profile in Cowardice, w/apologies to the JFK book Profiles in Courage = weak

leadership cannot decide on merits so runs for political cover by taking surveys of people who are irrelevant

Msongs

[cpamomfromtexas]

2. Just got one of these in the mail. Strange.

[gaspee]

3. Aren't we special?

We're powerful enough for the military to stop giving orders and instead *asking* the rank and file what they think.

We ARE all powerful!

I can't think of any previous military policy the rank and file was asked about before it was done... wait... there was that survey in the 40's about desegregation where 87% of the military thought blacks were inferior and wouldn't serve with them.

[Touchdown]

4. The Military spouses I remember were all gossip clatches.

It will at least give them something to talk about.