Yes, we need every able-bodied willing patriot out there utilizing their skills to help us extract ourselves from these wars with the least damage to the world’s stability as possible.

We need good linguists and medics and strategists and foot soldiers. And if there is anything that DADT has shown us, it’s that gay men and women were among the highest honored and technically needed soldiers we had.

Gay soldiers are needed now more than ever.

While I was in the Air Force during the Vietnam era, I served as a Squadron Flight Safety Officer with the rank of Captain, while my superior, the Wing Flight Safety Officer was a Major.

On a larger scale, the head of the Tactical Air Command as it was constituted at the time was a Brigadier (one star) General, no one else in TAC held a similar rank.

As a person was promoted to a higher position or retired, then the slot and its rank would come open to his or her replacement.

As far as retired officers are concerned, there are no restrictions in numbers, a person retires at the last rank held. While a person on active duty may only hold a high rank for a few years, those who retire after 30 years service may only be in their 50’s and continue to live for quite some time, so the number of high ranking retired officers is far greater than the number on active duty.

In any case, since youth are far more accepting of gays and their rights, it does my heart good to see so many of these older retirees supporting the repeal of DADT.

If even they support our position, then the repeal of DADT is assured.