(CNN) A veteran who was dismissed from Britain's Royal Navy because of his sexuality plans to sue the country's defense ministry for the return of his medals, which were cut from his chest when he was expelled in 1993.

Joe Ousalice, now 68, said he was "hounded out" of the navy and made to feel "disgusting" for being bisexual, after serving for almost 18 years.

The British armed forces banned LGBT service members until 2000, when the European Court of Human Rights ruled that it was unlawful.

Ousalice, a former lead radio operator, served in the Falklands War, carried out six tours of Northern Ireland and traveled with the navy to Hong Kong and Egypt. He was awarded a long-service medal and good conduct badges.

"The navy wasn't just my job, it was my life," he said in a statement. "But to do it I had to hide another important part of me, which I did because I loved the navy life so much I didn't want to give it up. But I shouldn't have been asked to choose."

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