New policy weakens our military

To the editor:I heard the most disturbing news report regarding our military. Apparently, in order to keep new recruits in the Army and other strained branches of our armed forces, the Pentagon has asked that drill sergeants, who have traditionally been in-your-face and tough-as-nails, to tone down their ferociousness and to be more likes coaches and mentors and less like drill sergeants.

What are these people thinking? How does one prepare for the stresses of war if one is treated like a child and less like a soldier? Does our government really feel that our enemies are going to be polite, nice and friendly? I will say that since the military implemented this softer approach to boot camp the number of dropouts has declined dramatically. But correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't boot camp meant to separate the weak from the strong, those who can stomach the stress of war and those who can't? If you ask me, this is one of many assaults aimed at demoralizing our men and women in uniform.

Add to this the fact that leading Democrats have staked their success on our soldiers failure in Iraq and are also calling for an end to the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that prohibits openly gay people from serving in the military and you have a military that our enemies will all but fear. And that, given the threats and challenges that we face as a nation, cannot be a good thing.

JESSE VENABLE, Cape Girardeau