A thought on homosexuals and military history

[rockymountaindem]

Some of you may have heard this before, but I think it's interesting and it combines my interest in military history and my love of pointing out that Bush has no historical perspective...

After Athens and Sparta fought each other to collapse in the Pelopenisian wars, the city-state of Thebes became the most powerful city in ancient Greece. Among their army was a regiment known as the "Sacred Band", composed of 300 pairs of homosexual lovers sworn to fight to the death for their lovers.

When Alexander the Great invaded Greece from Macedonia he was forced to fight Thebes. After one battle, Alexander surveyed the battlefield and saw a group of corpses who had all fallen very close together.

"Who are these men, who died so bravely and all of honorable wounds?" asked Alexander.

An adjutant replied "General, it is the Sacred Band of Thebes".

[saltpoint]

1. Good, good post, rockymountaindem.

The policy banning gays from military service doesn't hold up very well against the examples of history, does it?

I believe Alexander's father, Phillip II, was in Thebes (maybe as a captive or some sort of trainee?) at a time when the Sacred Band was at its height.

Centuries later, Bush I and Bush II have not fared as well militarily as Phillip and Alexander.

Your post was refreshing. Thank you.

[Demonaut]

2. I read that bit about Alexander too,

He and Hannibal are my historical heroes

[jonnyblitz]

3. Gay Desert Storm Vet right here.

I was 10 years active duty navy, I received quite a few medals and awards and got out with an honorable discharge.I never got caught and led an interesting double life as did many of us of all ranks. There was sort of like an underground thing going on. Anyways good post although I never served in a unit like you described. :P :hi:

[Bucky]

4. Um, so this gay unit *lost* the battle then?

Ha-ha! I get your point. But maybe you can find an example in which homosexual soldiers won a war. Like George Washington's favored drill master "Baron" (actually sergeant) Von Steuben. A raving queen with a penchant for the young ones, Von Steuben is the man who made Valley Forge a training ground rather than a frozen hell hole.

[rockymountaindem]

5. That wasn't my point.

My point was that the Sacred Band fought bravely and refused to surrender, even when faced with certain death. I was complimenting them. Alexander conquered everybody he saw, so Thebes and the Sacred Band are in good company.

[Touchdown]

6. TE Lawrence won freedom for the Arabians.

And I WON THE COLD WAR in the 80s...not RayGun! I was the one patrolling the fence. I was the one watching the E. Germans and Russians through binoculars. I was the one who tried to teach a Russian how to do the Time Warp through that razor sharp fence...and he was CUTE:9

[saltpoint]

7. Mary Renault's biography on Alexander --

-- THE NATURE OF ALEXANDER -- is a terrific book. She's his best biographer & scholar.

And god can that woman write a sentence.