The Pentagon says it has to train 23,000 personnel by Jan. 1 to prepare for transgender recruits

Public relations needs to move along with a time. Use the peer-reviewed modern techniques to change social policies Cpl Justin Goolsby

Not so fast. There is a moral turpitude that we must avoid. We avoid it by knowing and living the Army Values, Code of Conduct, Regulations, UCMJ, Field Manuals, SOP, guidelines, etc. We are a nation of laws, not of men, women and whatever. There is slim room for moral confusion or gray area. Like math, we are either right or we are wrong. And we are right when we follow the rules and accomplish the mission. In the end, it's all about survival anyway, why why pretend otherwise? Why pretend that almost is good enough, or, "you define your own success?" Getting it right, and getting it right the first time (because in life you seldom get second chances) is what counts. How does transgender fit within the traditions and purpose of the military? How do we reconcile the high rate of self-harm and suicide among transgender individuals as compared with the general military population? How do we effectively apply lessons learned about Chelsea Manning to what's going on now? Too many questions. Too many yellow and red flags. No rubber stamp on this one I'm afraid.

the hypocrisy of it is admittedly rather funny SSgt Addison R.

I think the self-harm and suicide numbers, along with the mess of Chelsea Manning are enough to give this a lot more thought. We need to know what went wrong vis-a-vis Manning. Was she a good recruit? If not, why not? Why are transgender individuals more likely than a homogeneous group to commit or attempt suicide or self-harm?

I agree MAJ Montgomery Granger as do most field grade officers that an investigation and more in-depth studies should be done on the efficacy of bringing in a marginalised group. If only there were moments in history to draw experience from SSgt Addison R. perhaps you could give MAJ Montgomery Granger a list of moments in military history where integration though rough at first ultimately enhanced the armed services. As a musician, I always found it interesting that the modern cadence chants were a direct result from desegregation of race in the military.

The rates of self-harm and suicide among transgender people and the mess of Chelsea Manning are enough to give a reasonable person pause. We ignore these facts at our own peril. How much of it is individual personality, and how much of it can be associated with gender dysphoria? We have a ways to go yet.