According to Military.com, President Elect Obama has pledged to end the don't ask don't tell policy and force the military to accept people that are openly gay. I was serving in the Air Force at this time. I always believed that with the social stigma on homosexuality not being what it used to be that if the military was ever to draft again, they would have to admit openly gay persons sooner or later. Homosexulity could become an easy out for draftees. Yes, even though there are ways of outing the truth, a buddies agreement may go a long way.
Having secrets, especially secrets of a sexual nature is not good for the military life-style. This is more true of those soliers, sailors, airmen and marienes that have access to some of our nation's most closely garded secrets. So if we must end, "Don't ask, don't tell" here is what we should replace it with.
If you want to be in, you're out (of the closet). In other words, on the application to join the military will be two questions...as far as you know, are you homosexual? Follow up...if you are, do your parents or guardians know about your sexual orientation? If the answer is no, then the recruit will be required to tell their parents before they will be allowed to join. Beyond that, the recruit needs to be assured that his drill sergeant or training instructor in basic training will not be told and during that time every precaution will be made to protect him. Every recuit will be told that there will be serious consequences for persecution of any other recruit for any reason including sexual orientation.
This type of questioning may help the draft board to out the truth.
Now, getting that off of my chest...I think the current policy only needs to be tweaked a little bit for an all volunteer military.
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