Introduction
Typically, the military can be classified as one of the most crucial types of jobs in any country. The security interests of a country and its citizens is based and assigned on the militants who are also referred to as the defense force. In addition, as the armed forces, they have the powers and are allowed to use any deadly weapon while in the line of duty for as long as they are in accordance with the law and in line with the ethics of their duties. They are also responsible for giving accurate information on what is on the ground to the government and the civilians. Long periods of training in harsh environments are just but some of the things they have to do to qualify as military forces personnel. These trainings are purposely meant to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary skills that would help them in performing their duties. Furthermore, they have to attain the spirit of perseverance, resilience, and tenacity which are qualities that are vital in their profession (Rutherford, 2014). The militants have to ensure that they have the ability to handle all that they have been trained before being assigned to their stations. Despite the immense trainings and competency acquired, discrimination in the military is still observed and has become a serious issue in most countries because it affects the way duties are assigned and performed. We shall have a look at some of the disparities in the military forces that have contributed to injustice, poor security measures among many other shortcomings.
Discrimination in the military is unacceptable, equality and respect for individuals from other races, gender, age and sexual orientation should be embraced.
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Discrimination is the act of denying an individual or a particular group of their rights or a given thing that they deserved. This may be in relation to their difference in race, age, medical status, or any other requirement that probably this group does not meet. In the case of the military, discrimination has been vivid especially in terms of assigning duties, posting individuals in a given position, promotions among others. Some of the basis of discrimination in the military just like most of other professions includes race, gender, sexual orientation and age.
As we had looked earlier, all military personnel undergo a very tough training before being assigned any duties. The attitude of quitting is one that is not acceptable in the military. While physical abilities and quick mental ability are taught, militants are expected to attain some behavioral attitudes like being able to be authentic. Basically, all militants have to meet certain requirements hence while people may have different abilities; militants have the same capacity to handle most of the duties as assigned because of the trainings they undergo.
In relation to Jody Cramsie (2016), women, unlike men, are never assigned some duties especially in the combat positions. The fact that the women had graduated as militants; the exception of them not being able to handle some duties is unreasonable. First and foremost, they have all it takes to handle these duties. Secondly, unlike other civilian women, these female militants proved to be strong enough to undertake the training that enabled them to be a part of the military force and lastly, for them to be on duty means they qualified and underwent all the trainings that the male counterparts undertook. In the entry to the military, men and women are undertaken through the same course with the same capacity and therefore, the inability for women to be assigned combat duties disregard the fact that they needed to undergo some of the trainings that would help them handle combat duties. The perception that women are a weak gender is debatable since one may ask, in this case, weak in what sense since she has embraced and adapted to the military life.
Honesty is a key requirement in the military but many militants had to lie about their sexual orientation since the existence of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t tell’ policy in America. This policy denied the militants an opportunity to serve openly due to their sexual preferences. Fortunately for most of the militia who were gays, lesbians, and bisexual the policy was lifted in 2011, hence they were able to serve proudly without feeling stigmatized. Contrary to this move, the transgender who are large in number in most of the military forces are still denied the freedom given to the homosexuals and the bisexuals. The decisions and choices made by gay community are based on the social and mental perspectives. Transgender individuals in the military are discriminated on the basis of being mentally unstable defined by the medics. While other individuals have been given the liberty to openly serve in the military, the discrimination is shown on the transgender creates a sense of imbalance in the decisions made to allow homosexuals and bisexual to freely serve and at the same time deny the transgender to openly serve. Critical decision making is a skill that is required to ensure that proper management is enhanced both in the line of duty and to the personnel (Thompson Reuters, 2016). In that case, if there should be freedom to serve, it should be given to all militants despite their sexual preference or their desired gender. In the case of bisexual, homosexuality and transgender being viewed as a defiant choice of behavior in the military forces, it would be more appropriate if they all were treated on the same ground. Furthermore, for as long as there are rules and regulations to be followed while on duty, the essence of involving an individual’s private life at work is unfair. In addition, the notion that transgender militants are mentally ill is a perception that demeans the individuals who are transgender because one of the core requirement for a militant is too physically and mentally stable. Therefore, the fact that transgender individuals are serving is because they passed their physical and mental health tests hence discrimination against them is bias to lesbians, gay, and bisexual.
In some other instances, militants are discriminated on the basis of their races. According to statistics in America, 3% of the white soldiers attest to have faced discrimination compared to a 27% of other races that includes the blacks and Hispanics combined. Discrimination in a given unit may contribute to the denial of promotion or underpayment with overwhelming duties or any other form of mistreatment compared to other colleagues of other races. Strachan (2000) states that the statistics found through questionnaires showed that discrimination in the British army was not different as it was in the civilian organizations. Generally, discrimination in the civilians was reflected in the military forces. While racial discrimination is blamed on the social aspects which play a big role in shaping the individuals in a society, the militants are considered as the most disciplined set of individuals in any country hence acts of discrimination among forces in different units contradicts with the behavioral qualities that are expected to be practiced in the military (Bingham, 2016). The difference in color or skin complexion does not in any way hinder an individual from performing or achieving highly in any field. In the case of the military, service to all is one of their responsibilities assigned to them; hence in most cases, racial discrimination in any unit may deter the militants from serving civilians of other races with respect, fairness or equality.
Some countries like America allow their militants to take up civilian jobs especially when they are in the National Guard or in the Reserves. These militants are sometimes expected to take up their uniformed services and leave their civilian jobs for a while. Consequently, on returning from their uniformed duties, most of these officers are either denied the chance to take up their previous positions and in some other instances, they are denied promotions. Logically, any employer would have the reasoning that their safety depended on the military duties in the field and therefore their businesses, companies, or organizations would not in any way operate if the country’s security interests were in jeopardy. That said, it would be more honorable, for employers to embrace their militant employees and treat them like any other personnel (Thompson Reuters, 2016). Discrimination of any form in the military and civilians alike is a disgrace in our world.
Conclusion
Discrimination in the military defies the qualities and the respect that our armed forces have earned from the civilians worldwide. With the trainings and lessons they undergo before being assigned any duties, the military is in most cases never divided on the basis of their races, gender or sexual orientation. Therefore, discrimination after qualifying as military officers does not in any way justify the denial of opportunities to freely serve with pride in the military units. Female militants, for instance, prove their ability to deliver their duties from their perseverance and tenacity shown during the trainings hence just like the male militants stand a chance to serve diligently while applying the knowledge acquired. As for the transgender denying them the chance to openly serve like the bisexuals and homosexuals creates a level of bias for one side since these individuals’ similarities and differences are based on their mental perception of who and what they feel they are comfortable with. Discrimination should be abolished in all military forces to ensure equality and proper performances.
References
Bingham, J. (2016, October 2). 'Are you a killer?' The Quet Discrimination shutting Military veterans out of workplace . Retrieved Dec 9, 2016, from The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/02/are-you-a-killer-the-quiet-discrimination-shutting-military-vete/
Cramsie, J. (2016), 17 (3), 547-588. Retrieved from http://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1550&context=vulr
DoSomething.org. (2016). 11 Facts About Military Discrimination . Retrieved Dec 9, 2016, from DoSomething: https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-military-discrimination
Rutherford, C. (2014). 8 Common Traits of Military Personnel That Are Not So Common in the Civilian Workplace . Retrieved Dec 9, 2016, from Every Veteran: http://www.everyveteranhired.com/8-common-traits-military-personnel-common-civilian-workplace/
Strachan, H. (2000). The British Army, Manpower, and Society Into the Twenty-first. Taylor & Francis.
Thompson Reuters. (2016). What is Military Employment Discrimination? Retrieved Dec 9, 2016, from Find Law: http://military.findlaw.com/family-employment-housing/what-is-military-employment-discrimination.html
