Gays having trouble getting their special leave
I didn’t bother mentioning that gay members of the military were getting their own special leave to get married, mostly because all I could say about it was “I told you so” when the gays started getting special privileges – because they said overturning the don’t ask, don’t tell policy was about serving, but it was actually more about getting benefits and general acceptance of the lifestyle. So now, I’m mentioning it because they’re whining that they’re having a hard time getting their special privileges to the LA Times;
The frustrations are palpable for soldiers such as Spc. Jodie Harper, an Ohio National Guard member and Army supply clerk stationed in Kuwait. When he heard about the new policy, he immediately applied for 10 days of leave to wed his longtime companion, Craig Roberts, in Washington, D.C., where gay marriage is legal.
With Harper on a nine-month deployment and Roberts in school and working two jobs, the couple is struggling to make ends meet. Once married, Roberts could register for federal benefits available to spouses of other National Guard troops, including military health care, tuition assistance and payments to help defray housing expenses.
But Harper’s battalion commander, Lt. Col. Mark Raaker, refused, saying only emergency leave was being granted. “He said if leave is granted for me to be married then it’s not fair to heterosexuals,” Harper said.
Raaker did not respond to a request for an interview. Col. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for the Army in Kuwait, said: “Deployed soldiers, because they are in support of the war effort, are only authorized leave in emergencies such as the death or serious illness of an immediate family member.”
Yeah, who knew that the poor special gays wouldn’t be allowed to return from their deployment to use their special gay leave? I’m sure that’s not what the Obama Administration had in mind.
In interviews, half a dozen military members also said their applications had been rejected, and for widely varying reasons. In some cases, commanders said they could not be spared time off. In others, officers were unaware of the new policy or said the procedures had not been finalized.
In still other cases, gay and lesbian soldiers have been approved for leave to get married — while other soldiers in similar circumstances have seen their applications denied.
So I guess the special gay leave should just be granted regardless of the current military operations in which they’re supposed to be engaged. Enough will never be enough.
Category: Who knows
“Special gay leave”. Indeed.
“Officers were unaware of this new policy.”
Gee, you’d think they might be expected to DO THEIR JOB.
@Karlen. yep, you’re right. forget that pesky war and minor stuff like that! they should be up to date on the latest news! what a Maroon.
Two Words:
FABULOUSHISHNESSLY WONDERFULL!
Gee, all I ever got was Special Liberty, like a long weekend, or annual leave. I don’t recall anyone ever getting special privileges for sex — oops! I meant marriage. It was just annual leave.
Maybe it’s time to take the military back to its basic structure and get rid of the ‘special this and that’ parts.
That dumbass from kuwait should have known better…..
I read the comments on the article and they made my eyes bleed. One commenter kept going on about how homosexuals have to travel to States that allow them to get married and heterosexual couples don’t. Last time I checked most service members aren’t stationed close to their families and usually travel to their home States to get married.
There’s so much wrong with this “policy” that I can’t even begin to address all the issues. I wasn’t able to take leave to get married–the ex and I went to Vegas one weekend, and we were both back at the grind on Monday.
And that was on SHORE DUTY. If I’d been at sea and tried the, “My girlfriend wants to marry me NOW” bit, my entire chain of command would have just shrugged and gone, “Oh fuckin well!” as soon as they had stopped laughing.
I got married during pay day activities.
Lying liars who lie!!! I sat through all of the “It’s O.K. to be gay” training two years ago and was told over and over that there would not be any special privileges or rights afforded to gay service members other than their ability to serve openly. Me and my co workers rolled our eyes and said “yeah right”. How about you do your friggin job and get married when you get your squirrely gay ass home!!
Not that there is anything wrong with that…..
I could care less on the gay marriage issue, however when I first saw this policy announced on AFN my first thought was this is not equal rights. They are making an exception to policy and granting special leave that others will not have. What about the couple who wants to get married at home with family they have to save leave to do it. Should be the same here, if it is equal then same leave policy to make it happen and everyone no matter what service they are in knows the policy. Mission first and even when leave it approved it can be canceled for mission requirements no matter what their orientation. There should be no exceptions and I have had friends that missed weddings for deployments or had to save leave to get there for it or a quick pass to get married and more later when leave was saved.
More special twinkies dividends. Wonderful. Just what we need in the military – more whining little girls.
What happened to “if the Army wanted you to have a spouse they would have issued you one”?
It’s okay to be gay to the same extent that bestiality and pedophilia are okay. What the heck, they are all arbitrary lines drawn by a moral and civilized society and we are all beyond those quaint, moralistic notions nowadays. Yesterday’s perversions are today’s normalcy. Get with the program. Um, check that. After years of schooling and training, it’s clear that most here are with the program.
So why can’t he wait until he gets back home? Seems like the article is stretching for a story here
personally i dont care about whos gay or not.. i know i cant catch… “the gay” from talking to.. being around… etc…. as long as they perform their job to or above standard… with that said. DONT expect special consideration just because youre gay. DADT was finally repealed… take solace in that.. DONT act like youre someone special just because you enjoy the same gender… homos and heteros alike have been denied leave because mission comes first.. put on your big boy/girl… panties/underwear and deal with it.
2/17 how in the living fuck can you compare homosexuality between two consenting adults to pedophilia or beastiality….
also lol @ moral… a few centuries ago.. and in some civilizations today .. IE .. chai boys.. its ok to fuck a kid… do i agree.. no… but its because its between a child and an adult… what two adults do behind closed doors means shit to me…atleast its between two adults.. not like christianity where kid fucking is thought of as a right of passage
I remember before there was paternity leave, but this isn’t the same thing.
Then again, Gay service members were allowed to march in a parade in their uniforms by Leon Panetta, who probably didn’t even read what he was approving since he was too busy flying home for the weekend at 32-grand or so.
Just the same as selective service. Well, now women can be in combat positions, so why is there a selective service and/or why still only for males? Pretty soon I’ll be the minority looking for something that applies to me still since I’m a single white heterosexual male. (Family Strong!)