In the cloud of mystery and deceit that often underscores American involvement in the Vietnam War, Harvard University, in response to bucketfuls of corresponding student protestors, decided to do away with its own ROTC program in 1969. The Boston Herald reported Monday that professors said the school is close to reinstating the military training program if a certain federal policy is changed and the face of the American armed forces becomes less exclusive of an institution.
In light of Harvard’s new movement to help veterans who return home from war find jobs in the private sector, rumors around the campus point toward ROTC’s rebirth at the school. Some say it is entirely dependent on the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy &-&- which prohibits openly gay citizens from serving in the military &-&- and others say the national policy is only a fraction of the banning’s overturn. Either way, if Vietnam was the direct catalyst to the program’s elimination, DADT should not be any part of the deciding factor of its reinstatement.
Yes, the implicit support of gays in the military is laudable and, separate from the context of the circumstance, the act would only be considered cause for praise. But if the protests that first got ROTC booted from campus were based on distrust in military tactics and political dishonesty, then those who think the repeal of DADT is enough historic compensation for ROTC’s return need to remember the current state of the American military and the war that is still being waged overseas. Allowing openly gay citizens to serve in the military will still only send them to the Middle East to fight in a war that the better part of the country will still not support, and those who support ROTC’s reinstatement will also, most likely, still not support.
If Harvard wants to declare its support for gays in the armed forces, then it should proceed and do so with conviction. But to apply an unrelated act as a cure to 40 years of military protest seems overly pious and self-indulgent. For every gay American that DADT’s repeal will benefit, there are still thousands of Americans suffering on battlegrounds. If Harvard wants to make a powerful statement, it should wait for the wars to end to reinstate ROTC, not haphazardly lift the ban for a separate battle’s victory.
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