HONOR
IS
THE
cornerstone
for
many
institutions
in
the
United
States
and
elsewhere.
It
is
particularly
important
to
the
United
States
military.
Honor
is
necessary
to
build
the
trust
necessary
between
leaders
and
subordinates
and
among
service
members
of
all
ranks.
Any
military
leader
will
say
that
trust
is
a
necessary
factor
for
unit
cohesion
and
operational
effectiveness.
Honor,
or
the
lack
of
it,
often
has
legal
and
foreign
policy
ramifications,
as
evidenced
by
the
recent
Abu
Ghraib
prison
scandal
in
Iraq.
Unfortunately,
“Don’t
Ask,
Don’t
Tell”
continues
to
erode
the
military’s
readiness
and
its
honor,
because
it
forces
members
of
the
United
States
Armed
Forces
to
live
a
lie.
The
government’s
ban
on
military
service
by
out
gays
also
diminishes
the
honor
of
veterans
like
me
who
have
served
faithfully
during
times
of
peace
and
war.
TODAY,
MANY
GAY,
LESBIAN
AND
bisexual
citizen
patriots
are
serving
faithfully
in
combat
zones
and
elsewhere.
Yet,
shamefully
our
nation
compels
them
to
choose
between
honor
and
country.
While
they
serve,
the
Department
of
Defense
continues
to
train
and
indoctrinate
replacements
for
the
enlisted
ranks
and
the
officer
corps.
The
premier
institution
for
training
future
Army
officers
is
the
United
States
Military
Academy
at
West
Point,
from
which
I
graduated.
ASK
ANY
WEST
Point
cadet
or
alumnus,
and
they
will
tell
you
honor
was
central
to
their
professional
development.
It
is
embodied
in
the
Cadet
Honor
Code,
which
provides
that
cadets
“will
not
lie,
cheat,
steal
or
tolerate
those
who
do.”
Simply
telling
the
truth
does
not
meet
the
Academy’s
high
standard
for
honor.
The
“Spirit
of
the
Code”
is
a
concept
I
learned
as
a
plebe
and
taught
as
an
Honor
Committee
staff
member.
We
learned
that
the
code
of
honor
is
more
than
a
legalistic
checklist
to
avoid
punishment,
but
rather
should
be
viewed
as
an
internalized,
shared
sense
of
moral
principles
that
foster
an
environment
of
trust
and
respect
that
is
critically
necessary
for
the
conduct
of
war
or
for
military
readiness.
Yet,
it
is
self-evident
that
many
cadets
must
deceive
their
peers
and
the
Academy
administration
about
their
sexual
orientation
or
romantic
past
for
fear
of
separation,
financial
reparations,
retaliation
or
harassment.
THIS
INSTITUTIONALIZED
HYPOCRISY
exists
because
of
the
inconsistency
in
the
service
academies’
honor
systems
and
“Don’t
Ask,
Don’t
Tell.”
Academy
regulations
on
one
hand
require
cadets
to
be
absolutely
truthful
and
forthright
in
speech
and
deeds
—
not
just
to
tell
the
truth
—
and
on
the
other
hand
Army
rules
require
the
discharge
of
anyone
who
speaks
truthfully
about
their
sexual
orientation.
As
long
as
“Don’t
Ask,
Don’t
Tell”
persists,
the
noble
goal
of
honor
will
remain
illusive
for
the
academies
and
the
officer
corps.
ON
A
PERSONAL
LEVEL,
IT
IS
SAD
TO
me
that
we
continue
to
dishonor
service
members
by
forcing
them
to
deceive
in
order
to
serve.
The
dishonor
lies
not
with
them
but
with
our
nation,
as
long
as
our
leaders
speak
with
a
forked
tongue
about
honor
and
service.
The
Declaration
of
Independence
reminds
us
that
all
Americans
“are
endowed
by
their
creator
with
certain
unalienable
rights,
that
among
these
are
life,
liberty
and
the
pursuit
of
happiness.”
We
must
stop
denying
our
citizen
patriots
the
happiness
they
can
fully
realize
only
through
self-acceptance
and
honest
relationships.
I
thank
all
of
you
who
serve
and
who
have
served
to
protect
the
freedoms
that
you
do
not
enjoy.
