This is my response to Lt Daniel Choi's open letter to MSNBC CNN errr, I mean Congress and the President. While reasonable debate can be had on the merits of DADT, the fact remains that it is the law. It was passed via the standard process by civilian authority, and the US Military is always subordinate to that authority. If the law really bothered him that much, there were other avenues that would not have forced the military into discharging him. Unfortunately, our good Lt. went and martyred himself.
Open Letter to President Obama and Every Member of Congress: I have learned many lessons 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. The lessons of courage, integrity, honesty and selfless service are some of the most important.
Apparently the lesson of following orders was not among them, Lt.
At West Point, I recited the Cadet Prayer every Sunday. It taught us to “choose the harder right over the easier wrong” and to “never be content with a half truth when the whole can be won.” The Cadet Honor Code demanded truthfulness and honesty. It imposed a zero-tolerance policy against deception, or hiding behind comfort. Following the Honor Code never bowed to comfortable timing or popularity. Honor and integrity are 24-hour values. That is why I refuse to lie about my identity.
No one asked about your identity. If they did, they were violating the law. The law very specifically states that no one can ask you about your orientation, and that you may not talk about it. The law does not engender you to lie or deceive. You violated the policy by running your mouth.
I have personally served for a decade under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: an immoral law and policy that forces American soldiers to deceive and lie about their sexual orientation. Worse, it forces others to tolerate deception and lying. These values are completely opposed to anything I learned at West Point. Deception and lies poison a unit and cripple a fighting force.
No, it does not. It states absolutely no such thing. What it forbids is anyone asking you about your sexual preferences and prohibits you from talking about it. You must not be good with the reading comprehension thing. You know what else cripples a fighting force? Grandstanding Lts, that's what.
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. I demand honesty and courage from my soldiers. They should demand the same from me.
YOUR COMMANDERS NEVER ASKED YOU. YOUR PEERS NEVER ASKED YOU. YOUR SUBORDINATES NEVER ASKED YOU. Jesus, get the hell over it. You decided to out yourself, in direct contravention of standing lawful authority, and now you will suffer the consequences of your decision.
I am committed to applying the leadership lessons I learned at West Point. With 60 other LGBT West Point graduates, I helped form our organization, Knights Out, to fight for the repeal of this discriminatory law and educate cadets and soldiers after the repeal occurs. When I receive emails from deployed soldiers and veterans who feel isolated, alone, and even suicidal because the torment of rejection and discrimination, I remember my leadership training: soldiers cannot feel alone, especially in combat. Leaders must reach out. They can never diminish the fighting spirit of a soldier by tolerating discrimination and isolation. Leaders respect the honor of service. Respecting each soldier’s service is my personal promise.
SOLDIERS DO NOT FIGHT THE LAW. Let me say this again: SOLDIERS DO NOT FIGHT THE LAW. “Ours not to question why, ours but to do and die.” Ring a bell? If you choose not to follow the lawful authority of the US Army, that's fine, but do us a favor: Do not lecture us about the merits of an activist military. It is a horrible idea, and if you had any understanding of history you would know why.
The Department of the Army sent a letter discharging me on April 23rd. I will not lie to you; the letter is a slap in the face. It is a slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to my soldiers, peers and leaders who have demonstrated that an infantry unit can be professional enough to accept diversity, to accept capable leaders, to accept skilled soldiers.
The Department of the Army is following the law and laid out in 10 USC 654, which you violated, they have to discharge you. That law was passed by Congress under their authority as laid out in the US Constitution, specifically Article 1, Section 8. The law was signed by President William J. Clinton.
My subordinates know I’m gay. They don’t care. They are professional.
And here's the tell: They don't care. They never cared. Everything would have been fine, except you had to open your trap and decide that hey, you know what? That Article 1, Section 8 thing doesn't apply to me; I know better than Congress. I don't have to follow this law because I *feel* that it infringes on my freedoms. Lt, you must know that there are quite a few freedoms that Soldiers suspend when they sign on the dotted line and put on the uniform. You just decided not to follow the rules.
Further, they are respectable infantrymen who work as a team. Many told me that they respect me even more because I trusted them enough to let them know the truth. Trust is the foundation of unit cohesion. After I publicly announced that I am gay, I reported for training and led rifle marksmanship. I ordered hundreds of soldiers to fire live rounds and qualify on their weapons. I qualified on my own weapon. I showered after training and slept in an open bay with 40 other infantrymen. I cannot understand the claim that I “negatively affected good order and discipline in the New York Army National Guard.” I refuse to accept this statement as true.
You also refused to follow lawful orders.
As an infantry officer, I am not accustomed to begging. But I beg you today: Do not fire me. Do not fire me because my soldiers are more than a unit or a fighting force – we are a family and we support each other. We should not learn that honesty and courage leads to punishment and insult. Their professionalism should not be rewarded with losing their leader. I understand if you must fire me, but please do not discredit and insult my soldiers for their professionalism.
You don't get it, do you? The law is not about you. The Department of the Army is not about you. The US Congress, The US Code, and the UCMJ are not about you. You made this about you, you made this decision. I hope they taught you about taking responsibility at West Point.
When I was commissioned I was told that I serve at the pleasure of the President. I hope I have not displeased anyone by my honesty. I love my job. I want to deploy and continue to serve with the unit I respect and admire. I want to continue to serve our country because of everything it stands for.
You violated orders. You violated orders. You grandstanded on national TV and violated orders. When you accepted your commission, you must remember something about, "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States". There's probably also something about, "I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter". Maybe I missed the part about, "when it suits me".
Please do not wait to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Please do not fire me.
Ex Post Facto - even if the law is repealed, you're still fired.