Lt. Dan Choi – You’re NOT In The Army Now

Lt. Dan Choi, the Iraq war veteran, Arab linguist, and West Point grad turned “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal activist, today, it appears, LOST what he had said he wanted from day one: the opportunity to serve his country in the armed forces again, just three days after re-enlisting in the Army.

Just a short time ago, Choi tweeted, “Army recruiters are shredding my enlistment papers, despite no official recruiting policy change.” And then he added, “I am now in the same recruiting category as those applicants who did not graduate high school. Unqualified status.”

Choi told The New Civil Rights Movement today, “This situation is a reflection of the confusion—the recruiting command is interpreting a policy, although they have not received a written directive.  People should be able to continue to sign up. I think they are wrong.

“Because of Obama, I am in a trench.  Obama is sending mixed messages and is not cutting through the fog—he is sending out smoke signals. Obama is causing the disruption.”

While the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday issued a temporary stay against Judge Virginia Phillips’ injunction disallowing any “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” enforcement action, thus effectively placing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” back on the books, the military had earlier this week told recruiters to accept all applications even from those “who admit they are gay or lesbian.” The military has not announced any change to this recruiting policy.

This move by the Department of Defense is troubling, as Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Clifford Stanley, had stated that “additional guidance” would come if a stay were granted, and it does not appear that any additional guidance or change has.

Choi on Thursday, before being effectively rejected by the military today, had spoken with CNN, telling President Obama, “You have lost my trust,” for petitioning the Ninth Circuit for an emergency stay.

Lt. Choi, who has become the poster child for repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law barring gays from serving openly in the military, had said from the start of his battle to force the government to accept openly gay and lesbian service members into the military, and keep them from discharging them under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” that he would be the first to re-enlist as soon as it was legal for him to do so.

This move by the Department of Defense comes just one day after Secretary of Defense Gates had said he would narrow the field of which military leaders are allowed to authorize “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” discharges, according to The Advocate, to “the secretary of the corresponding branch in consultation with the undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Military Readiness and the general counsel of the Department of Defense.”

It appears Lt. Choi will need to once again update his Twitter bio. It currently states, “American. Infantry Officer. West Point. Iraq Vet. Arabic. Gay… Fired! and Re-enlisting!”

Stay tuned.