MY FRIEND, LT. DAN CHOI, AN AMERICAN HERO

I have a friend.

A kindred spirit.

A brother in arms.

He speaks fluent Arabic.

He loves his country, my country, The United States of America.

He may love his country, my country, even more than I do. He volunteered to join the Armed Forces and put himself in harms way in Iraq because he felt it was his duty to defend his country.

This was after an exemplary career at West Point.

He was in a unit that was violently attacked on his first day in Iraq.

He kept moving forward with his eye on protecting our country and yours and my freedom. He moved forward and up in the ranks.

My friend, Lt. Dan Choi is a very honorable and honest man.

His honesty became his undoing.

You see, my friend, Lt. Dan Choi, doesn't believe in lying. It's not the thing an honorable man does. Especially not one who has pledged to honor his country and his commitment to the United States Armed Forces.

So, Lt. Dan Choi, my friend, told the truth.

He is Gay.

I won't bog YOU down in the details of what his life has been like since the moment that he stood up and said he would no longer lie about who he is, you can google his name for that drama. I will, however, say that he did a thing so right and so brave that I don't know if I could have done the same.

Could you?

Lt. Dan Choi is no longer in the Armed Forces due to the policy of "Don't Ask Don't Tell".

An Arabic linguist and true American Hero, an honorable man who won't lie, is not a member of the Armed Forces of the United States of American because he told the truth.

Isn't the truth what EVERY child is told to tell from the time they figure out how to lie?

Why should my friend, Lt. Dan Choi have to lie to serve his country?

I went to the Veterans Day parade today.

I was so proud of how many youth were there all spiffy in their fancy uniforms. The bands were playing and they all were smiling and laughing. I wondered if they understood that they were committing themselves to a career of telling the truth.

I also wondered how many of them would grow up to be liars in order to continue forward in their chosen career.

I have to say something to the folks who don't believe that Gays should be allowed to serve in the Military.

My friend, Lt. Dan Choi, is an Arabic linguist.

Ponder this:

You can waterboard a terrorist all you want.

But.

You can't make him speak English.

Happy Veterans Day.

Please send Senator Harry Reid a letter asking him to lead the way on ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Learn more about "DADT" at the following links:

http://knightsout.org/

http://www.ltdanchoi.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_ask,_don%27t_tell

http://www.freep.com/article/20091111/NEWS15/911110324/1001/news/Doctors-Repeal-dont-ask-dont-tell

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/06/dont_ask_dont_tell.html

http://www.bing.com/reference/semhtml/Don%27t_ask%2C_don%27t_tell?qpvt=dont+ask+dont+tell&src=abop&q=dont+ask+dont+tell&fwd=1