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Joseph Rocha Didn’t Tell, Yet He Paid the Price

Posted by DORIAN DE WIND in Education, Health, International, Places, Politics, Religion, Science & Technology, Society, War.
Oct 12th, 2009 | Comments

As freethinking Americans, we all have our own thoughts and opinions about homosexuals and homosexuality; about same-sex marriages and same-sex unions; about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and about so many other related issues.

As Americans, we are fortunate that we can express our opinions freely on these issues in healthy, sometimes argumentative and emotional debates, as we often see on TMV.

Sometimes we catch a lot of flak for expressing our opinions, but that comes with the territory. When all is said and done, when the debate is over—and perhaps as a result of the debate—as Americans we have the luxury of changing our opinion a little bit, a whole lot, or not to give a single inch.

I have frequently expressed my opinions on our present policy of allowing gays and lesbians to serve in our armed forces as long as they keep their sexual orientation secret. In other words, allow them to serve as long as they deny and betray part of their own being.

This post, however, is not intended to discuss the merits or perils of such a policy, although I am sure they will be discussed.

Neither is it intended to discuss whether homosexuality is a choice or whether there is a genetic linkage to sexual orientation, although I am sure this will be addressed.

The sole purpose of this post is to bring to the readers’ attention an article that appeared this weekend in the Washington Post.

The article is written by a 23-year-old young man, Joseph Rocha, who joined the Navy when he was 18.

Rocha loves his country and served meritoriously in the Middle East. He worked with dogs trained to detect explosives for 12 hours a day in 112-degree heat with 85 percent humidity, to keep those explosives and insurgents out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Because of his qualifications and performance, Rocha was selected to attend preparatory school for the Naval Academy and an eventual commission in the Navy.

There was, however, one little problem. Rocha happened to be gay.

What happened to this young man because he is gay, because he wanted to serve his country so badly, because he wanted to have the same rights as everyone else, is a tale of absolute horror, injustice, shame, and, yes, just plain bigotry.

Some will say that Rocha shouldn’t have joined the Navy in the first place, “under false pretenses.”

Perhaps. But what happened to Joseph Rocha, in my opinion (others may think differently) cannot be excused, condoned or rationalized under any circumstances.

Please read “I Didn’t Tell. It Didn’t Matter,” a story of a young American whose only wish was to serve his country and whose only “problem” is that he is gay.

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shannonlee

40 years from now our grandchildren will look back at us and our attitudes towards gays and they will feel exactly how we feel when we look back at the south in the 60's...except instead of the south, it will be states like California.

tidbits

Perhaps accounts like Joseph Rocha's will help alter the landscape of this debate. One can only hope. It's time to deal with reality instead of the fantasy of DADT.

DLS

Obama's speech to the Human Rights Campaign was carried live (naturally) by CNN.

He promised to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He counseled patience with gay marriage (which he opposes along with the mainstream -- Dem politicians, when asked about this yesterday, refused to answer the question, if they supported gay marriage). There's no reason he need wait to try reforming Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and resume making gains by him and other lib Dems in Washington. There's no guarantee it will be ended (or ended quickly), but there's no reason he couldn't approach it sooner rather than later.

Kastanj

There is only one possible thought - repeal DOMA and DADT. Also, gay adoptions across all of the US.

Anything else cannot be the result of tinking clearly - they are not thoughts.

If Obama doesn't dare to stand up againt the psychotic GOP interest groups (who whitewash their homophobia by rubbing themselves against the bible and keeping christianity hostage) then he is a coward.

roro80

Thanks so much for sharing this story, DE. It really does touch on a lot of issues of the military culture; not only does it show the futility of the DADT policy, but it touches on military hazing, the overwhelming culture of rape-apologism, the lack of care for those with mental disorders, the all-the-power-none-of-the-responsibility way the chain of command is set up, the secrecy of the boys' club. I'm always flabergasted when I hear these stories, and when I contemplate how close I came to joining the AirForce; it just doesn't seem like a situation conducive to any functionality. It must function, I suppose, and I certainly don't have the credentials to say otherwise, but that culture is something I'm glad I never decided to immerse myself in.

D. E.Rodriguez

Thanks you for your comments roro. I share most of your feelings and concerns about the military "culture."

In defense of the U.S. Air Force, however, let me say that in all of the 20 years I spent in that Branch of Service, I not once observed a single case of gay hazing, discrimination or worse.

It is perhaps because of the type of assignments I had, the positions I held, or the culture in the 60s and 70s. For all I know, things may have changed quite a bit since then. I hope not.

Dorian

roro80

Hey DE -- I certainly did not mean to disparage the Air Force. Like I said, I thought very seriously of joining (this was 1998, so it had been a long time since the US was involved in any active war zones). When I hear stories like this, from an outsider perspective, it's hard to figure out if these stories make the news because they are large aberations from the norm, or if they are terribly common but protected by the secrecy and loyalty that the armed services nevertheless engender. Too many war movies and novels make me think it's common, but one cannot base one's opinion on fiction, so I'll just say that I hope that stories like this are very uncommon and make the news because they are exceptional.

D. E.Rodriguez

roro80:

I didn't talke it at all that way, don't worry.

I suspect that such cases are probably more common these days than when I was in the service.

One reason that I was not aware of such cases, or even of gays in my units, might be that my type of assignments were mostly in high security jobs and areas, where and when if one was discovered to be gay, in those days, had serious consequences (such as the loss of security clerances, and worse) because of the fear of blackmail.

Which brings up an interesting and beneficial "side-effect" of our society being more accepting and open about homosexuality: the fact that being gay (or lesbian) is no longer considered such an "abnormal," "evil", almost criminal thing, makes gays and lesbians much less susceptible to possible blackmailing or extortion. Interesting!

Dorian

Father_Time

Well I can tell you this; My military service experience was a heck of a lot rougher than what this man describes, even if I just described boot camp, much less what came after. You should research just how many suicides occurred at Edson Range, Camp Pendleton or Marine boot camp in general for that matter,.

I personally dragged an Hispanic man with cut wrists out of the shrubbery and was trying to stop the bleeding when the DI kicked me down, held up the man’s bloody arms giving a lecture on how to cut your wrists properly as the man dangled unconscious. For suicides, research during the Vietnam war alone, (which is all that I can speak of). In my opinion this man does not even know the meaning of humiliation! The “oral sex” incident is where I would have broke and in a similar hazing is exactly where I did break and came out throwing fists expecting to be kicked out of the military. No, that is what they wanted. They wanted to know if I would fight for my dignity, and, I did. From then on they left me alone, but moved their attentions to others in turn. They did things like this to MANY people and it was as common as one thousand 4 count bends and thrusts as punishment for talking without permission. Fart sack beatings, shower hazing, stealing your hog off the hog board and making humiliating sexual innuendo motions with her picture, Gunny Soto urinating into the muddy crawl at motivation platoon while you crawled through it…I don’t have enough room here or memory left to list it all!

My opinion is that this man was weak, gay or not. He could not defend himself when the bullets ran out and it is also my opinion that the unfortunate woman whom killed herself was weak also! How can you defend your country if you are dead?! THANK YOU! Just blow your own brains out and do the enemy’s job for him! SCREWBALL!

Gay or not, you get no sobs from me. Try craping and urinating in your own pants for days because you can’t get out of your fighting hole or uncle Ho’s nephew will ding you. Hope your bullets don’t run out and you have that face to face moment of truth with a flipping K-bar knife. Buckling knees? Give me a flipping break.

I don’t care what this crybaby says, he should NOT be a leader of men in combat. Oh dirty dog pooh….what a crime.

roro80

I am speechless. Which is saying something.

D. E.Rodriguez

Same here, Roro. Which is why it is best to let this man (or woman) rant and vent. We went through exactly this same crapola in another thread

Father_Time

Thanks Dorian, I’m now “ranting and venting” according to you.

Sorry, I just may not be capable of giving you the response that you want. Your example is poor for seeing your point of view on the issue. How can it possibly convince me of his military leadership suitability if the guy pumks out before anybody even knew he was gay? I’d love to be consoling and sympathetic here, but in war Dorian? Are you kidding me? I realize things have changed since my day, but I cannot imaging that our enemies are anymore understanding now. I wish the guy the best of luck, but IMO he is weak and needs another career. Now that I think of it, in this circumstance, the chief was the defacto enemy so to speak. Both these people let him win hoping the “system” would come and save them.

It’s a cold world Dorian. If you and your gay friends really want what you want, then by god fight. Don’t seek sympathy through examples of weakness, find examples of strength. Unless you just don’t have any, well then I understand that you are doing the best that you can do.

I remain unconvinced.

D. E.Rodriguez

"Sorry, I just may not be capable of giving you the response that you want."

I don't ask for nor do I need you to give me a response "I want."

Your views and mine on the equality, dignity, morals, decency and rights of gay and lesbian Americans are worlds apart.

You have every right to continue to express what I believe are prejudiced views, and I have the right to continue to express my total disagreement with those views, or to ignore them

Thank you for your civil comment.

Dr J

Ouch, I have to agree with Father Time on this one. Mr. Rocha may have been gay, but one gets the sense there was more going on.

LionAslan

Old Father Time is telling his fluffy stories again. A DI in the military would be courtmartialed for not tending to a man bleeding to death. Father Time take your need to grandstand somewhere else. No soldier whimps and complains the way you do. Everything bothers your poor little feelings. Hard to believe you ever upped.

D. E.Rodriguez

"one gets the sense there was more going on."

Like what Dr. J?

What in your mind can excuse such inhumane, criminal behavior?

You must have something in mind, to make such an assertion.

I am curious

Please remember to bring your thoughts up to the defense lawyers in the Court Martials or other civil or criminal litigation that I am sure will follow, now that these crimes have been exposed.

Dr J

What in your mind can excuse such inhumane, criminal behavior?

Who said anything about excusing it?

I just don't see a clear line between it and DADT. Mr. Rocha can't have been the only gay sailor ever in the unit.

And "abused because he was gay" seems a pretty simplistic reading of his article. He sounds like the sort of guy who would have gotten picked on even if he were straight. His tone is whiny, he shows a sense of entitlement and little sense of his own role in defining his predicament. Father Time's characterization of him as "weak" seems not unfair.

None of that condones hazing. I don't require accountability to be strictly black and white, so I have no trouble believing both that Mr. Rocha should have done more to stop his abuse and his chief should have done less to start it.

D. E.Rodriguez

"And 'abused because he was gay' seems a pretty simplistic reading of his article."

If deducing from reading the following in the article that Mr. Rocha was "abused because he was gay," is a "pretty simplistic reading of this article," then so be it:

"My higher-ups seemed to think that gave them the right to bind me to chairs, ridicule me, hose me down and lock me in a feces-filled dog kennel.

...the chief had decided that I would be down on my hands and knees, simulating oral sex. A kennel support staff member and I were supposed to pretend that we were in our bedroom and that the dogs were catching us having sex. Over and over, with each of the 32 dogs, I was forced to enact this scenario.

I don't think I will ever feel as powerless as I did when I was on my knees, wearing a U.S. military uniform in the Middle East, forced by my superior to shove my head between another man's legs."

Thank you for your comments

roro80

I guess I just don't understand a system in which it is seen as somehow necessary do these things to someone. I don't see how that makes someone better at their job, even if that job is in the military. It looks like he made it through -- damaged, in the end, but he certainly didn't quit while he was there, for 28 months. From the story, it seems that while he was miserable, he excelled to the degree that he was accepted to become a ranking, educated member of the armed services. Considering this person "weak" seems pretty out of range. Really damn fed up seems appropriate.

Dr J

I should hope he'd be damn fed up, Roro. It's surprising he wasn't fed up sooner. That's one reason his article reads like he wasn't in the right job to begin with. People seem compelled to attack him, and he keeps losing. Hold him up next to the "warrior" job requirements, and the mismatch is clear.

It's both inaccurate and a little insulting to offer him as emblematic of gays in the military. Repealing DADT is not about ending a hazing epidemic, for there is none. It's not about softening job requirements to carve a safer space for people of questionable qualifications. It's about the large majority of gays who serve professionally and can earn their colleagues' respect on their own, and simply allowing them to do so with one less layer of repression and dishonesty.

roro80

Hey Dr J -- I see what you're saying. I disagree with some of it, but I would agree that it's quite likely a repeal of DADT may not have changed the way things played out for this particular person; this guy's gayness and his inability to be open about it were only contributors to what happened. Being gay actually gave this guy a pretty elegant way of getting out of the military (one I've had to hold my tongue to keep me from suggesting to a few friends of mine who are presently overseas...). I guess when I read the story, it immediately seemed more about the military culture than just the military culture for gay people in particular.

Part of the problem is that is seems that the entire military culture is based upon the following "given": if you want men to be ruthless and violent jerks against our enemies, they're naturally going to be ruthless and violent jerks against their collegues. This, to me, seems fully illogical, yet every time we hear a horror story of violence of US service members against other US service members (rape, hazing, humiliation, gay bashing, etc), it is somehow a given that if these dudes don't get to beat the snot out of their collegues, that somehow there will be a problem of unit cohesion or something. Needless to say, I do NOT think that to be strong and quick and ruthless and violent against the enemy one needs to be so toward one's own fellow service members.

Dr J

Neither do I, Roro. Our professional military ought to behave professionally.

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