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Decorated Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach discharged for being gay under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
If this doesn’t fire you up about wanting to end the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, I don;’t know what will.
We learned this week that decorated Air Force Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach, an 18-year veteran and a fighter pilot, is being discharged for being gay.
Rachel Maddow had him on her show last night and I felt so badly for this man, who is being ousted just two years short of retirement. I also felt grateful to hom not only for his service and bravery, but for his decision to go public. This could be the case that forces the Obama administration to take action and keep the president’s campaign promise – a promise that convinced a lot of LGBT people to vote for him and raise money for him.
Fehrenback told Maddow: “I was devastated, absolutely devastated. … I’ve served for 18 years and was just two years short of retirement.”
He found out that he had been outed last May and was served his paperwork in September. Wanting “it all tio go away,” he initially wanted a quick hearing and an honorable.
“But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted to fight and stick up for other people. … I would hope that the president moves fast and fulfills his promise to us.”
I find it so outrageous that Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell is saying there are no plans to end DADT. I really want to know WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?
Comments
(All comments are reviewed before being published, and I review submissions several times per day.)
Lexxvs says:
It’s an old story. Most politicians are cowards, overwhelmed with fear advices based on polls from one side and the other, only ready to make a step just when the crowd push them forward.
What a pity. Hope that finally there will be a big change in attitude. If not, another unfulfilled promise. Obviously I am referring to a possible executive orders ahead of a possible law.
Gui Barranco says:
It’s a pity to see this great professional being dismissed due to a wrong government policy!!! I hope America opens its eyes to this absurd.
Dr. Frank R. Douglas says:
I was in the air force in the 1970s and maintained UIFs (Unfavorable Information Files) which lumped gay service members with drug users, wife beaters, drunks, child molesters, those AWOL, robbers, and the like. Usually all those except gays could have their files destroyed and be allowed to re-enlist in the air force. Most gays were found out by accident and certainly did not volunteer any personal information but it did not matter. Several gays who wanted to be kicked out was not as they were being punished by being forced to stay in. It was always arbitrary and often the OSI investigators were gay themselves.
The appeal to common sense, fairness, justice, and the American Way is not working for gay service members. Blacks did not get to eat at the counter with whites by being passive. The current situation is not helping gay people who volunteer to serve so a pro-active approach needs to be implemented.
I hope the best for Lt. Col. Fehrenbach but I do not see President Obama or any president doing anything for him or any gay service member. Politics is not directly connected to the truth, fairness, or justice. It is about compromise and payouts to coalitions for decision-makers to stay in power. It answers to those who pay and talk the loudest regardless or any moral anchor.
If I had power this service member would not be under threat of separatin based on a personal attribute. I was amazed while in the air force twice and the navy once that the armed forces of the United States is one of the best places to meet gays.