when i got out of school the navy was actively advertising for data
processing personel in southeast asia. i went the next morning to join but
was sent away from the recruiter with somewhat a feeling of scorn.
i have done this type work for many years and could have done it for the
navy. in the area of our ability, the military is passing over a goldmine of
ability that are in many cases needed.
no, we could not do actual combat, but many things we could do.


-----Original Message-----
From: Betty B [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 1:56 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Should PWDs be allowed to serve in the Military?


Interesting story alert!  What do you folks think?  Should we be allowed to
serve in some military capacity for our respective countries?

*************************************************
UK's top soldier under fire for excluding disabled

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Britain's top soldier was in the firing line on
Wednesday for saying that disabled people would not be recruited by the
armed
forces.

Chief of Defence Staff Sir Charles Guthrie said that disabled people serving
in the army, navy or air force would be "detrimental" to the forces.

His remarks triggered a sharp response from the Disability Rights
Commission,
a body set up by the government to promote equal opportunities for the
disabled.

"What they (the Armed Forces) are saying is that we are for disabled people
to be registered as full and equal citizens except when it comes to serving
one's own country," said commission member Colin Low.

He told Reuters that disabled people did not expect to be deployed on the
battlefront but could serve some useful purpose in back-up operations.

"We are seeking to lift the blanket ban and also want individual cases to be
looked at on their merits," Low said.

He added that the commission would be approaching the government to seek
ways
of improving legislation for disabled employment, and called Guthrie's
remarks a "pre-emptive strike."

Guthrie was outlining his vision for Britain's troops before he retires next
February and stressed that the country must not go soft on what was required
of them.

"Combat effectiveness is not about cuddling babies and delivering tea," he
remarked in a presentation on Tuesday.

LEGISLATION OF PARTICULAR CONCERN

He warned against "the gathering tide of legislation" which could bog down
the armed forces in future, a reference to European moves to have the
military included in employment law ending discrimination on the grounds of
age and disability.

"If left unchecked the impact would have had a detrimental effect on the
forces by insisting that disabled people had the right to serve," he said.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said Britain had successfully won an
exclusion from the legislation in October.

"We do not recruit for specialist roles," she said. "Everyone has to be
physically fit and able to fight at the front line."

Guthrie said the armed forces were employing women and homosexuals with no
"detrimental effect" to their capability.

"However, we do have to be on our guard and keep an eye on the cumulative
effect of all these changes, which might begin to erode the ethos of service
and sacrifice," he said.

Both sides of the political divide backed Guthrie's stance.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters:

"The Prime Minister's view...is that the armed forces cannot be just another
employer. There is no such thing as a non-combatant job."

The opposition Conservatives said civilian and military rights should not be
blurred.

"The quality of our Armed Forces is the most important requirement and
cannot
be undermined by a lot of civilian rights that would not work," said Tory
spokesman Iain Duncan Smith.

07:45 12-20-00

Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited.