Lt. Dan Choi.
He graduated from West Point in 2003 in Environmental Engineering and Arabic. (He was one of just eight Arabic graduates in his year.) From 2006 to 2007, he served in Iraq (an Arabic-speaking country!) as an infantry platoon leader. In June '08, he transferred to the New York National Guard.
Despite his impressive resume, (I hope to add "Fluent in Arabic" to my skills section someday,) he was recently kicked out of the army because he said he was gay.
I know, my jaw just fell from face when I first heard this on the Rachel Maddow show. Doesn't that just make you cringe in shock and dismay?!
Say you're on the 11th floor of a burning building. Do you ask, "Hey, Mr. Fire Fighter, can I just ask, are you gay?" And if he says, "Why yes, I am," do you then ask for a different fire fighter to save your burning a$%? Will you refuse help from a skilled professional because he or she is gay?
Lt. Choi’s discharge highlights/bolds/italicize the inherently counterproductive nature of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. It's simply appalling that it still exists.
Please join me in petitioning our government to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. (I already gave the President my two cents about it and I’m still waiting to hear back. I understand, he’s a busy guy.)
You can tell your representative, one of our senators, or the President himself.
(The picture of Lt. Choi is from the No H8 Campaign, a non-profit that is protesting Prop. 8 with photography.)
