An editorial in today’s Boston Globe, “To restore ROTC, end gay ban,” bridges the divide between those wanting to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and those wanting ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) programs back on America’s campuses.
The nation’s elite universities once produced their share of military officers, many of them from campus-based ROTC units. But first the Vietnam War and then the ban on gays drove a wedge between the armed services and such colleges as Harvard and Brown. The recent call by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for ending the ban on gays serving openly is a step toward bridging the divide. But universities are right to wait until the ban is actually dropped before they restore ROTC to the place it once had on campuses.
If more graduates of top colleges entered the services, the military and the schools alike would benefit.
Quick repeal by Congress of “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ would restore fairness and honesty as pillars of the military and re-establish ROTC on campuses. It can’t happen soon enough.
Indeed.
So, the logical question is, how do you feel about allowing ROTC programs back on America’s campuses?
(image: Caleb Eigsti, at University of Nebraska)