A HALFWAY POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
Writing at the National Journal, Kori Schake wonders:
Finally, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Marine Corps petition for -- and receive -- a Congressional exemption from any change to the policy. The Marine Corps is the most tribal of the Services; the one most focused on the individual and their commitment to the Corps. The average age in the Marine Corps is 19. Their recruiting model is aimed at bringing a young man into service for two or three tours. By contrast, the soldier is nearly a decade older (average age is 28), more often married and with children, and encouraged to consider the Army a career because the investment in their training gains value with time. The Army is bigger, sloppier, more democratic, and more diverse than the Marine Corps -- in some ways, less different from civilian America. As a result, it is likelier to focus on solving the practical problems of integrating openly serving homosexuals; the Marine Corps is likelier to resist symbols that place the individual's needs above the Corps', such as whether gay Marines can wear their uniforms in marriage ceremonies.
