Thursday Morning Man: Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach!

Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach would have been an ideal Veterans Day Morning Man but your faithful blogger didn’t think of it until today!

But really, any day is a good day to spotlight this American hero and fighter pilot who during an 18-year career in the military, completed 88 combat missions, 2,189 total flying hours, 1,487 fighter hours and 488 combat hours. He has received eight air medals, one for Heroism, and was hand-picked to protect the Washington, D.C. airspace after 9/11. He flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, targeting the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

His reward? He was discharged earlier this year – just two years short of retirement – because he is gay.

Fehrenbach is one of the best examples of why the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy is a farce and must be repealed immediately.

We should be so grateful to this man not only for his service, but for his courage in speaking out against this shameful policy.

Here is a piece from BBC World News: