Lt. Dan Choi is being fired from the military for refusing to lie about who he loves
Jul 2, 2009
Lt. Dan Choi is being fired from the military for refusing to lie about who he lovesHelp him keep fighting by signing this letter to Speaker Pelosi asking her to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Your support for Dan has been amazing. 162,741 people signed Lt. Choi's letter to the Army. And, a few weeks ago, 141,262 people signed Lt. Choi's letter to President Obama. Combined, more than 300,000 signatures were collected on Lt. Choi's behalf and were submitted as "Exhibit E: Courage Campaign" to the Army.
Dan is not giving up and needs your help to keep on fighting. Please join Lt. Choi, the Courage Campaign, Knights Out and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network in signing this letter to Speaker Pelosi.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:
We, the undersigned, urge you to make "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" a priority and publicly support the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (HR 1283) -- legislation that would repeal DADT and replace it with a policy of nondiscrimination.
Lt. Dan Choi, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, an Iraq War veteran, Arabic translator and California native, is a capable soldier and leader who could continue to play a vital role in this time of war. His firing is a symbol of all that is wrong with this policy.
Both the Senate Majority Leader and President Obama have spoken publicly about the need to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". Speaker Pelosi -- your voice and your leadership is needed at this crucial time.
We call on you to make the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" a priority in Congress. We cannot afford to lose any more talented soldiers critical to our national security.
Sincerely,
58,599 people have signed this letter as of Thursday, July 2, 12:23 a.m. PT. Please help Lt. Choi now by adding your name before July 4th:
After 10 years of service to our country -- including leading combat patrols, rebuilding schools and translating Arabic in Iraq for 15 months -- the Federal Recognition Board issued its recommendation on Tuesday that I be discharged from the Army for "moral and professional dereliction" under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
The board's decision to fire me is not the end. Now that this panel of four officers has recommended my discharge, it still must be approved by senior officials in the Army, a process that could take a few weeks to a year. Unless something unexpected happens, it may be just a matter of time before the Army officially fires me.
I will not give up, no matter the odds. Because I know that the only way we will win this fight to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is by facing it head on. And I need your help again to keep up the fight.
At West Point, I recited the Cadet Prayer every Sunday. It taught me to "choose the harder right over the easier wrong" and to "never be content with a half truth when the whole can be won." The Cadet Honor Code demanded truthfulness and honesty. It imposed a zero-tolerance policy against deception, or hiding behind comfort.
That's why I can't give up now. I've got to keep fighting. My fellow servicemembers -- and the 70 fellow West Point graduates who have also come out of the closet to join Knights Out, the organization I co-founded to push for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- would expect nothing less.
The only way we can win this fight for the truth is if the political cost of discrimination eventually becomes too great for the system to operate successfully. We need to raise the political cost in Congress so that Speaker Nancy Pelosi understands that, as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall once said, "justice too long delayed is justice denied."
As I said a few days ago, national security means many things, but the thing that makes us secure in our nation and homes is love. What makes me a better soldier, leader, Christian and human being is love. And I'm not going to hide my love.
Love is worth it.
Thank you for your support.
Daniel W. Choi 1LT, IN New York Army National Guard
Courage Campaign Issues is part of the Courage Campaign's online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California.
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