The Bilerico Project | Daily experiments in LGBTQ

US Soldiers stationed in Afghanistan decided to put their own spin on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" debate heating up back home. To be fair, they are not engaging in the debate. Soldiers are supposed to be apolitical. And they make that very clear. But this video begs to be read in the context of the larger social policy debate back home.

The director, Codey Wilson wrote:

Created by Codey Wilson and his elite step team of volunteers. The video is an EXAGGERATED act of a possible future military that is open to any sexual preference. Please don't try to cause us any problems. We're just a few good guys trying to enjoy ourselves and get this deployment over with. No one in the video is gay... that we know of, nor am I. Sorry guys. Not that there is anything wrong with that! (political correctness) I am NOT saying it IS ok to be gay in the military. I am not saying it's NOT OK. As a wanna be student actor and film maker I was forced to release this early due to our friend in Afghans lip sinked music video. I have to admit I feel a bit more creative but he has my respect. Making these things around here is really scary because we're taking major risks. You know you love it. Enjoy it. Spread it. Lastly, ignore the copy cats that will soon follow and keep your taste for original creativity. If you see anyone using this video for the wrong reasons please help out Thanks for watching. Next one is coming out in two weeks when I get home!

Watch the video after the jump.

At the end, there is a screen shot that says, "...Just be honest with yourself. You loved it!" I did love it. It is nice to see that our soldiers are able to find a way to have fun in such a terrible situation. Particularly at the expense of those who have not come to terms with reality -- our soldiers are more than capable of handling the reality of serving with gay and lesbian service members. They have already moved on to humor.

Some in our leadership need to remember, our soldiers have been serving with openly gay men and women for years. Our allied forces have been allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly for the entire duration of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

Thank you for the laugh guys. Good luck over there. I hope you make it home safely.

UPDATE: The video was removed from You Tube by Collins after controversy was brought to the attention of the Pentagon. Read more about the controversy at Metro Weekly.

Cross posted at SeattlePI.com