I work for the Courage Campaign
I had just started high school in Orange County in 1993 when President Bill Clinton backed off his pledge to allow LGBT Americans to openly serve in the military. Little did I know that decision would profoundly impact the life of one of my classmates.
Dan Choi graduated from Tustin High School shortly after I did. He got a prestigious appointment to the US Military Academy at West Point, while another of our classmates got an appointment to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis that same year.
Our mutual friend is still serving in the armed forces. Dan Choi, after a distinguished career in the Army that included a tour in Iraq, is not. The only difference between them is that our friend in the Navy is straight – and Dan is gay.
I hadn’t kept in touch with Dan after high school, until one evening in March when I was watching Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show and saw him on the show speaking out against the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Dan spoke three words that he knew violated Army policy – “I am gay.” Sure enough, as a result of that interview, Dan was served with a letter discharging him from the Army.
I stand with Dan Choi not just because we were classmates, but because we are both human beings who deserve fully equal rights. If I could serve in the military (if I chose to) as an openly straight man, Dan should be able to continue serving in the military as an openly gay man. There is no reason whatsoever to draw a distinction between the two – particularly at a time when the armed forces can use all the Arabic-trained, combat veterans who command the respect and loyalty of their fellow soldiers.
President Obama has promised to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, but appears to be waiting for the right political moment. The right political moment is NOW. Soldiers like Lt. Dan Choi, 2nd Lt. Sandy Tsao, and any other LGBT soldier cannot wait for the president to find the right moment. That’s why the Courage Campaign and CREDO Mobile have launched a petition to President Obama asking him to reinstate Lt. Dan Choi and repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
President Obama should suspend all discharges under the DADT policy, and immediately ask Congress to send him a bill repealing the policy from our laws. Lt. Dan Choi, Lt. Tsao, the 11,000 soldiers who have been discharged under the policy, and the unknown, uncounted numbers of LGBT soldiers still in the military who still suffer from this policy. They know that the military demands honesty, yet they must lie to their fellow soldiers about who they are. They love their country and love their service, but are at constant risk of being kicked out merely for their sexual orientation.
Over the flip is the email Lt. Choi sent to Courage Campaign and CREDO Mobile members earlier today.
Dear Robert —
In March, I went on Rachel Maddow’s show and spoke three truthful words: “I am gay.”
As an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic, I refuse to lie to my commanders. I refuse to lie to my peers. I refuse to lie to my subordinates.
As a result, the Army sent a letter discharging me on April 23. The letter is a slap in the face. It is a slap in the face to me and it is a slap in the face to the soldiers who I have commanded and served with over the last decade.
I have served for a decade under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — an immoral policy that forces American soldiers to lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception. As I learned at West Point, deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force.
That’s why the Courage Campaign and CREDO Mobile are getting behind me today. And I’m getting behind them along with Knights Out — an organization I founded to bring attention to the ways “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” undermines our national security.
I need your support. Please ask President Obama not to fire me. Click here to watch my recent interview on Rachel Maddow’s show and sign the Courage Campaign’s petition asking the President to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontFireDan
In the ten years since I first raised my right hand at the United States Military Academy at West Point and committed to fighting for my country, I have learned many lessons. Courage, integrity, honesty and selfless service are some of the most important.
That’s why my discharge from the Army is so painful. I am not accustomed to begging, but I am begging President Obama today: Do not fire me.
My subordinates know I’m gay. They don’t care. They are professionals. My soldiers are more than a unit or a fighting force — we are a family and we support each other.
Will you support me as well? Please ask President Obama to keep his promise and tell Congress to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law and support equality in the military. Click here to watch the Rachel Maddow interview and sign this petition to the President ASAP:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontFireDan
Very Respectfully,
Daniel W. Choi
1LT, IN
New York Army National Guard