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Unfriendly Fire: How The Gay Ban Undermines The Military And Weakens America (2009)

by Nathaniel Frank(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0312373481 (ISBN13: 9780312373481)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Thomas Dunne Books

review 1: As someone who was involved in the 1993 battle over gays in the military, albeit in a minor way, and who was in the military, I was curious how the story would read, 15 years on. This book rings true. Mr. Frank tells the story of how the U.S. got to that point, how Congress skewed its hearings on the issue, and how Bill Clinton ultimately, under duress, signed on to Don't Ask, Don't Tell.He doesn't neglect the corollary issues: the mindset of both sides, the experience of gays in the military prior to 1993, and the experience of other militaries who lifted the ban. He helpfully lists the evidence for and against the ban, so far. (He may be one of the few to have actually _read_ the 1993 RAND study on the issue). And, he shows the anti-gay policy's contribution to pervasive... more male-on-female sexual harassment in the military.He follows DADT in subsequent years, and it's a complicated story: I knew how "Don't Ask" became "Search and Destroy" in some commands, but hadn't heard, till now, of how many gay soldiers stayed on and continued serving well.Mr. Frank could have, I suppose, made more of the impact this had on Bill Clinton's ability to act as Commander in Chief. This spat may have had something to do with his weak initial response to the Balkan wars from 1993 on. Certainly, the RAND study said that the gay ban would have fallen if the military thought Bill Clinton meant it. But, this a minor quibble.Indeed, Mr. Frank does show how, with the military wearing out its active and Reserve forces with second, third, and fourth tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He not only shows how personnel needs got so dire that the military was recruiting poor-quality, even ex-felon, soldiers, but shows the mayhem that would cause. (He does allude to the shortage being a factor in hiring the "contractors," Blackwater et al). All this while the military got rid of thousands of personnel under DADT, including Arabic-language specialists who might've been useful after 9/11.This was a definitive study, up to early 2009 and the start of a new administration. It's worth re-reading now that Don't Ask has been repealed and the military has moved on, decisively. The presence of military LGBT personnel may very well be taken for granted in future: this work is a good bookmark of what was, and very recently.
review 2: This was an excellent book, and provided me with a lot of information behind the pros and cons of gay men and women serving in the military. That said, it was as dense as a redwood tree. It read like a legal brief, and while some of the historical anecdotes were interesting, it was rather difficult to get through. I certainly suggest it though for anyone with a legal mind who's interested in the history of gay rights. less

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