CBS: Is the military easier on gay soldiers in wartime? Nick Langewis and David Edwards

Published: Thursday December 13, 2007



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Print This Email This (via PageOneQ)--This upcoming Sunday, CBS will feature a soldier that says he has been allowed to continue to serve in the United States Army despite being openly gay, in contradiction of 10 USC 654, more commonly known as the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Don't Ask serves to bar any openly gay individual from being accepted into military service, and discharge an active member who is revealed to be gay. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) client and Army Sergeant Darren Manzella, currently serving in Kuwait after a tour in Iraq, tells Lesley Stahl of CBS' 60 Minutes that he has been well supported by soldiers and bosses alike since coming out last year. Stories like Manzella's suggest a climate of indifference to openly gay soldiers, especially in overseas combat. An SLDN survey suggests that members stationed overseas are less likely than those serving stateside to be discharged under Don't Ask; less than 25% of 2005's discharges were revealed to be from units in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Sergeant Manzella's story illustrates the arbitrary and uneven enforcement of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" says SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis. "Many commands, like Manzella's, recognize that their lesbian and gay troops are instrumental in the work of defending our country." Continues Sarvis, "Those commanders, who want to do the right thing and retain good troops, should not have their hands tied by this unfair law. Our nation's commitment to fairness and civil liberties demands an end to this law, and our national security interests are best served by repealing it." Since its enactment in 1993, Don't Ask has resulted in the discharge of over 12,000 servicemembers, at an average of two every day. Medical professionals like Sgt. Manzella, along with "mission-critical" personnel such as 58 Arabic translators, are included in those ranks. "It is perhaps only once in a lifetime," says Sgt. Manzella, "that we are given the opportunity to do something of paramount importance, and I am honored to be able to use my voice to speak out on behalf of the countless lesbian and gay Americans currently serving in our armed forces." "More and more of us are serving openly  and proudly  in our nation's military," continues Manzella. "It is important that Americans hear our stories, see our commitment to our nation and understand the harm 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' unnecessarily inflicts on our military and our troops. I am grateful to Lesley Stahl and 60 Minutes for the opportunity to share my story, and grateful to SLDN for their fight on my behalf during my time in the Army." Manzella, along with SLDN board member Cholene Espinoza, will be featured this upcoming Sunday, December 16, 2007, on CBS' 60 Minutes, airing at 7/6c. More information on Sgt. Manzella, and the ongoing effort to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, is available at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. A video preview, as posted on CBSNews.com on December 13, 2007, is available below.









