Poll on Gays in the Military

In response to “74% of Military Enlistees Oppose Lifting Gay Ban,” Times poll, Feb. 28: I am not surprised that 74% oppose lifting the ban; rather I am surprised that as many as 26% don’t oppose lifting the ban in one degree or another after all of their top military leaders, starting with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Colin Powell, came out so strongly in opposition to the ban being lifted. By their public statements, the service chiefs have made gay-bashing and prejudice against gays in and out of the ranks respectable and set the tone which ensured that the response your poll received would come to pass. This may not have been their intentions; however their statements predicting violence and reduced readiness will most certainly become self-fulfilling prophecies leading to violence and induced reduced readiness. Military personnel, both officers and enlisted, are indoctrinated to hear the voices of their leaders, believe in their judgments and obey. One can only wonder as to the number of gays, in and out of the military, that will suffer physical harm and mental anguish because of our military leaders’ injudicious words. It is interesting to speculate what the poll’s results might have been had the service chiefs taken a positive position of support for the President, or at least been less negative. I dare say that the results of the poll would have been dramatically different. STANLEY S. FINE Rear Adm. (Ret.) Los Angeles