Why our military is the most DISCRIMINATORY organization in America

By Allen West10:15am July 29, 2017

It’s been one heck of a week with all that’s been happening — or not happening — in Washington D.C. I want to take the time to focus specifically on one occurrence.

Let me reiterate once again: tweeting is not a very good delivery platform for policy pronouncements, such as President Trump did regarding the reestablishment of a ban on “transgender” service in the military. This would have been better done via press statement or press conference with an executive directive supplied to the Pentagon. This is reminiscent of the first attempt by President Trump with the temporary travel halt from seven Muslim nations…i.e., the action generates more questions and creates more turmoil than intended or realized.

Furthermore, when senior leaders in the military are being queried and have no concept of what the road ahead entails, it does not bode well. And here we thought with the addition of Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director, things would have settled a bit.

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Now, I can already hear the Trump loyalists ready to burst, so let me make myself crystal clear. The action is necessary, the means by which the action was declared was abysmal…in fact rather juvenile. If I were commander in chief, here’s what I would have said via press conference or by press statement to make this policy announcement”

As commander in chief of our military, I think it’s imperative for all of us to understand that the United States military is one of the most discriminatory organizations in America. Let me explain. The mission of our military is unlike that of civilian society. It calls upon men and women — and I say that very specifically — to answer the call of arms to protect and defend this nation, our way of life, our freedoms and liberties. And they willingly surrender many individual liberties in order to honor the oath they take.

In our military, we do not accept those who are overweight; they are dismissed. We do not accept those who cannot maintain a certain physical standard; they are dismissed. If you’re not a certain height, you are not allowed entry. If you don’t maintain a certain standard of appearance or grooming you can be punished, and if you do not comply, you will be dismissed. If you have an issue following lawful orders, you will be counseled, punished, and if that behavior continues, you will be dismissed.

If you have a problem with alcohol consumption, we will try to assist. If the problem persists, we will dismiss you. We do not accept drug usage as it is not in keeping with the purity of body and clarity of mind that we require — and your fellow Solder, Sailor, Airmen, or Marine demands. Our military is a uniformed service and does not conform to the behavior of the individual; we conform the individual to our core set of principles and values, rooted in honor, integrity, and character. We will dismiss you if your character does not comport with what we require.
Our military is not a place for social egalitarian ideologies and experiments, especially at such a critical time when we must rebuild our military capability and capacity to deter, confront, and defeat the enemies of our Republic. Our military is not about issuing participation trophies so that everyone feels good about getting to play. We don’t play in our military. The profit margin of our men and women in uniformed service to our nation is not measured in dollars and cents, but rather in lives. And having served in our military for 22 years and in several combat zones, I want to announce these two reversals in policy from the previous administration.
First, ground combat duty billets will not be open to female Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines. As a matter of fact, I have sat with the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Joint Chiefs to discuss how we can toughen our standards for these combat billets to ensure we’re producing the best qualified warriors our nation requires. This is not about fairness or equality. Success in combat has a single qualitative measure: kill the enemy.

Secondly, we will reinstate the ban on individuals suffering from the mental condition, gender dysphoria. I was disheartened to learn that the U.S. House of Representatives voted for American taxpayers to fund hormonal therapies and gender reassignment surgeries, costing between $30-$35,000 per individual.
My focus as commander in chief is to fund our core war fighting capabilities, not accommodate individual behaviors. Commanders in our military, of which I was once one, have no time to concern themselves with individuals confused about being a man or a woman - that is not consistent with our mission. Those currently serving in our military will be honorably discharged. We will not go down the path of the Private Bradley Manning case. I am the preeminent steward of the American taxpayer dollar, and we will streamline our defense budget to include our defense acquisition and procurement system, reduction of the civilian bureaucracy, and drawing down of large onerous headquarters. We are going to return to three basic principles for our military: deploy, fight, and win. And I will be definitive in not redirecting our military to anything that isn’t enabling that doctrine.
Lastly, I want to emphasize, our military, the true one-percenters in our , are required to be better than our society. And I will hold them to the highest of standards — but that standard, that example, begins with me. I am not an ex or former. I am a Soldier for life and the standard and example of selfless service and servant leadership starts with me, right here, every day.

I am proud to have been a member of this highly competitive and discriminatory organization we call the United States military, because we want the best this nation can offer and produce. And why? Because we ask them to do that which is above and beyond the walk of the everyday American in society. And to those who would look on me and try to associate the guidance I’ve issued with race, let me remind you, race is not a behavior, nor a mental condition.
I have issued a directive to the Secretary of Defense and this guidance will take effect immediately and the military has 60 days to ensure implementation. And they have agreed to these timelines, and the guidance issued.

God bless you, God bless America, and God bless the men and women in uniform in our military who enable us to truly be blessed, safe, and secure.

[Learn more about Allen West’s vision for this nation in his book Guardian of the Republic: An American Ronin’s Journey to Faith, Family and Freedom]

Allen B. West