Okay,... I’ve been holding my tongue on this issue for a long, ...long time and it has NOTHING to do with whether a “Trump” has served in the military or not.

To begin with, that argument is a “non sequitur.” I AM a Retired US Marine Major, so please permit me: The Rand Corporation did a study and reported there are somewhere between 3,000 and 6,000 (if I remember the figure correctly) “transgenders” serving in the Active US Armed Forces. The study did NOT include members of the US National Guard or the Reserve Components of the Regular Services, i.e, US Army, USMC, US Navy, and US Air Force. The “transgenders” are those who identify as the opposite sex; ...cross-dress up at night out in town, in the barracks or in their off-base quarters, in attire opposite their birth sex? That said, here’s where this issue gets complicated: Do any of you readers here think that the US Armed Forces, vis a vis, the American Taxpayer should pay for “gender reassignment surgeries?” Gender reassignment surgeries can cost around $132,000 per. Added to that, is the cost AND time spent for follow-up $1200 per month hormone therapy treatment and hours AND hours of counseling by DoD Doctors and Psychologists at whatever base to which they are assigned.

And with the post surgery “down-time,” these individuals would be for upwards of 240 days, in a “Non-Deployable” status. So, who takes the place of the Marine Infantryman (MOS 0331), now a “Reassigned Transgendered Male,” who was scheduled to go afloat, but now can’t, with the Amphibious Readiness Group-Landing Force of a Marine Expeditionary Unit because “he” is having post-op complications? What happens when the trans-individual Marine has post-surgery physical complications and is afloat with the Navy; or in some instance, the individual happens to be a Soldier or Airman stationed with US Armed Forces in Germany or South Korea? What happens if a reassigned trans-individual has psychological complications in dealing with their condition and their new “sex” while deployed elsewhere in the world... let’s say, in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean... or Adak, Alaska... or Reykjavik, Iceland?

Also, do we give these individual “special dispensation” from serving in these duty stations? Who’s the service member who has to take their place in these sometimes “hardship duty stations?” Your son or your daughter? Now if a guy or a gal wishes to play dress-up, “Play House” or play the role of “Buckeroo Banzai” in the barracks or wherever, they can have at it, for all I’m concerned. During my service time as a Commanding Officer or Executive Officer of a Company and Battalion, I’ve gotten worse Monday morning reports from the Barracks Duty NCO after many, many payday weekends!

Trust me. But when we go “down the rabbit hole” to taxpayer-funded reassignment surgeries in our Armed Forces, we are embarking on a truly wasteful and unnecessary venture. How many transgenders will seek the opportunity for taxpayer and “free” gender reassignment surgery? Do we give this costly and time consuming surgery to “Private Joseph P. Schmuckatella USMC” because all of a sudden he “thinks” he is a girl and wants to become “Josephine?” Do we allow others to enlist, get the surgery and then all of a sudden, it seems, they “can’t handle the military” because of “psychological issues?” This whole “transgenders serving in the military” issue is pure “PC” nonsense... of course there are gays and transgenders in the military.

There always has been.... we were not always sure who they were; sometimes one could make a pretty good guess though,.... no homophobia or transphobia here.... just plain horse sense with regard to who pays for gender reassignment surgeries. Now, everyone wants to point to Chris (”Kristen”) Beck, the RETIRED Navy SEAL who was a “transgender” while serving in the Navy. All well and good. I honestly thank him for his service and his heroics. I don’t know if he had the gender reassignment surgery after he retired to become a “female,” but I know he lied when he said he was a member or SEAL Team 6 when it took out Osama Bin Ladin.

He actually retired about six months before that expedition. I served twenty years as a Commissioned Officer with Fleet Marine Force Units in the 2nd Marine Division, 1st and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wings; 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and with I MEF in the Persian Gulf (Ops Desert Sheild - Desert Storm). I went through the Officers Candidate Course at Quantico, VA and served as the Logistics Officer (Special Staff - 4) for the Recruit Training Regiment at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC. I experienced “becoming a Marine” as an Officer Candidate and personally witnessed the magnificent tranformation of fine American youth, male and female, to “becoming US Marines” at MCRD, Parris Island. As Commanders and Marine Officers, we are responsible for FIRST, the “MIssion” and SECONDLY, “Troop Welfare.” Added to that, we have a responsibility for “Unit Cohesion” and folks, this PC nonsense is NOT included in that part of our responsibilities.

This is not a game or “social experiment.” Marines and other Armed Forces Military Members lives are on the line here. Having said all this: Please let me direct you to Dr. Paul McHugh’s, from Johns Hopkins, study about “Gender Dysphoria.” You can google it. He has studied “Gender Dysphoria” for OVER 40 years. He is dead set against Gender Reassignment Surgery. And parents are doing a great disserve to their chlldren when they let them go down that road. Why? Upwards of 40 - 48% of transgenders attempt suicide. Dr. McHugh’s salient point: “Males will never truly become females and females will never truly become males.” So, do we want those who are having psychological issues on the front lines in combat alongside fellow Marines or Soldiers with fully loaded arms? You be the judge of Dr. McHugh’s work and determine for yourself if there’s not something wrong with “trangenders” entering our military.