HAS THE MILITARY FALLEN SO LOW?

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 12, 1993                   TAG: 9302120531
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
HAS THE MILITARY FALLEN SO LOW?
IT IS impossible to turn on a television or pick up a newspaper today and not hear or read about the "gays in the military" issue. It severely shakes my confidence in the American military. It is my hope that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military leaders are underestimating the integrity of the majority of our military personnel. If indeed they are not, and there is rampant ignorance, hate, intolerance and lack of self-discipline in the armed forces of the United States (as in the recent case of gay-bashing by three Marines), then this is what the American people should fear.
This is a country that was supposedly built on the premise of human rights. Must we clarify the term "human" over and over again. It includes black slaves, women, Jews, Catholics, and, yes, homosexuals. These are the people our military personnel have vowed to protect. It is their duty to represent our country with tolerance and dignity, and I hope they will continue to do so. BARBARA PINSON ROANOKE

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB