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.