Gay Vets Seek to Re-Enlist in Military

(Oct. 20) -- "I passed." That's what gay Iraq war veteran Dan Choi announced today on his Twitter page after taking the skills test to re-enlist in the Army.

Choi, who came out on national TV and then handcuffed himself to the White House fence to protest the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, is one of at least three gay veterans seeking to re-enlist.

Last month, a federal judge issued an injunction suspending enforcement of the law that bars anyone from serving in uniform if they're openly gay. On Tuesday, recruiters for the U.S. military were told to begin accepting applications from openly gay people.

But late this afternoon, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco granted the Obama administration's request to freeze the suspension. It's not clear what will happen next.


Before the latest ruling, the 29-year-old Choi went to a military recruiting center in New York's Times Square on Tuesday. "I'm headed to the Times Square Recruiting Station," he announced on his Twitter page, encouraging supporters to join him at an impromptu rally there.

"Today is a great day we can all celebrate," Choi told ABC News after filling out recruitment papers. He'd hoped to join the Marines this time, but age requirements prevented him, so he re-enlisted in the Army instead. "I'm very excited to be in service to this country."

Choi, a 2003 West Point graduate, is fluent in Arabic and served two tours in Iraq as an infantry platoon leader. After returning from deployment, he became one of the most vocal critics of the "don't ask, don't tell" law.

He revealed his sexual orientation publicly for the first time last year on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," prompting the Army to begin proceedings to discharge him. In March, he was arrested along with an Army captain for handcuffing themselves to the White House fence while in uniform to protest "don't ask, don't tell."

Civil disobedience charges against Choi and the other soldier were later dropped, but his discharge paperwork went through in July, putting the war veteran out of a job.

About 100 supporters gathered outside the Times Square recruiting post while Choi was there. Among them was Justin Elzie, a 48-year-old fellow veteran who was the first Marine ever investigated under the "don't ask, don't tell" law.

"This is a very important moment in our country," Elzie told DNAinfo, a Manhattan news website. "I'm getting chills up and down my spine."

Choi, who lives in New York City, founded KnightsOut.org, a group of West Point graduates who support the rights of gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual soldiers to serve openly in the U.S. military. He was training with the National Guard, preparing for a possible deployment to Afghanistan, when he was discharged in July.

In a tweet today, Choi said he refused to lie on his new application. "I was discharged in 7/2010 from the US Army because I told the truth about my sexual orientation and refused to lie about my cherished lover and partner," he wrote on the application, which he photographed and posted on Twitter.

Choi said he expected to undergo a medical screening on Monday. "I'm just really excited," he told CNN today while standing outside the Times Square recruiting station. "It's been a long time coming."

Almost giddy, he added: "I've been going through all this entire year wondering if I'm going to get fired, was I called back to duty? And now here I am, and this is a really exciting day, not just for gay people but for all of America."

Choi is one of at least three gay veterans who have started the re-enlistment process since the Pentagon told recruiters Tuesday to consider the "don't ask, don't tell" policy moot, according to The Associated Press.

Former Marine Will Rodriguez, who was discharged in 2008 for being gay, registered at a recruiting post in San Diego, but officials there told him he has to wait until January until more slots open up.

A gay soldier discharged in 2006, Randy Miller, was turned away from a Stockton, Calif., recruiting station by sergeants who said they hadn't heard about the policy change. Miller went to a Navy recruiter next door and signed up there instead, the AP reported.