Lt. Dan Choi served his country proudly in the Iraq war after graduating from West Point. He's a leader---groomed as such at the country's top military university. So after all this, why did the military administrative board of the New York National Guard recommend he be discharged? Because he stood up and proudly represented who he is---a gay man. However, as an OPENLY gay man who is active in the military, Choi violated the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and stands to lose some, if not all, of his veterans benefits.
So President Clinton thought it would be a good idea to not allow recruiters to ask if a person's sexual orientation as part of the military's admission process. Unfortunately, he also thought it was a good idea for any gay person in the military to keep it quiet, forcing them into a closet with a padlock on it. And now, it's sketchy as to whether or not Obama will repeal the act as promised when running for election.
Let's get right down to it. As a person drowning in the military culture (entire family is in and/or retired), I must stand up and applaud Lt. Choi. He stayed true to who he is AND served his country. He is to be honored, not ridiculed, for his service, leadership, and courage to fight a seemingly endless war. Thank him for having the balls to fight instead of sitting on your high horses, glad that your sons and daughters aren't over there fighting (I'm talking to you, members of Congress). And, for Pete's sake, quit trying to govern someone else's bedroom and find out what's going on in your own! (I'm talking to you, endless line of political figures that sleep with anything in a skirt EXCEPT for your wife.)
Get rid of "don't ask, don't tell" and focus on the bigger picture. Trust me, I've asked the Korean war veterans, the Vietnam war veterans, the Operation Desert Storm veterans, the Bosnia conflict veterans, AND the Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans in my family and they could care less if the girl or guy next to them is gay...as long as they have their backs and make sure everybody makes it home alive, nobody cares.
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