enator John F. Kerry, drawing on his experience as a Vietnam combat veteran, sharply took issue yesterday with the two Democratic candidates for president, who said in debate Wednesday that they would require military commanders to let gays serve openly in all units of the armed services.
Kerry said Vice President Al Gore and former senator Bill Bradley were wrong not to allow some discretion for commanders to decide whether the presence of gay soldiers or sailors would disrupt the morale and combat effectiveness of a unit.
''I think it's a bad idea and I disagree with the positions of both people,'' Kerry said, referring to the two candidates' assertion that they would demand that the military Joint Chiefs of Staff accept and enforce such a policy for gays.
Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat who commanded a Navy patrol boat in Vietnam, said he strongly supports the right of anyone who chooses to serve in the military to be able to do so without fear of persecution because of sexual orientation, race, or ethnic background.
''I believe that in our military, there is a place for everybody who wants to serve,'' he said at a meeting with Globe editors and reporters. ''I don't care what their race, religion, or sexual preference is.''
But he said there are limited situations where the commander must have the discretion to remove a gay or a minority - or a racist - person to ensure the success of a mission.
''I am not going to sit here and tell you that if you had six cracker-jack people who had all kinds of experience and one person'' declared they were gay ''and the unit went crazy - that I'm going to junk all five of them. I'd be a liar if I told you that. It's just not practical.''
Commanders of small, specialized combat units, such as the Navy Seals or the Army Rangers, must be able to select individuals based on their impact on the unit and should not have their hands tied by a broad policy, he said.
''If you put three people in a small boat and send them up the river at night and they hate each other, somebody might be kind of nervous as to where a gun might be pointed,'' he said. ''We had a lot of fragging in Vietnam, people killing each other, on our side, for various reasons.''
Kerry said his approach should not be viewed as having a negative impact on otherwise protected soldiers. The same rule would allow a commander to dismiss a bigoted or homophobic person, he said.
Kerry said such discretion is not necessary for general combat units and should never be considered for noncombat units.
