"Our legislation ensures that gay veterans who selflessly served our country no longer live with tarnished records that prohibit them from receiving the recognition, benefits and honors they deserve," Pocan said Wednesday. "By enshrining the implementation of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal into law, our country can finally close this dark chapter of our history and move forward."



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Pocan and Rangel said many veterans received discharges other than "honorable" because of their sexual orientation. Dishonorable discharges can be treated as a felony, and those with a general discharge on their record can have trouble finding work because of that classification.The Restore Honor to Service Members Act would ensure a review of all discharges due to sexual orientation and would upgrade these discharges to "honorable." It would also remove all indications of a veteran's sexual orientation from their record.