Openly Gay Army Sergeant Discharged

Organization Points to More Openly Gay Service Members Serving Without Incident

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Decorated Army Sergeant Darren Manzella has been discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law banning lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from military service, effective June 10. The Iraq war veteran was the first openly gay active duty service member to speak with the media while serving inside a war zone. In December 2007, Manzella was profiled by the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes. He told correspondent Lesley Stahl that he served openly during much of his time in the Army, with the full support of his colleagues and command.

“The discharge of battle-tested, talented service members like Sergeant Manzella weakens our military in a time of war. National security requires that Congress lift the ban on gays in the military and allow commanders to judge troops on their qualifications, not their sexuality,” said Adam Ebbin, Communications Director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).

SLDN reports that a growing number of service members are also serving openly without incident. The organization is aware of more than 500 troops who are ‘out’ to their colleagues and, in some cases, their commands.

Sergeant Manzella said, “My sexual orientation certainly didn’t make a difference when I treated injuries and saved lives in the streets of Baghdad. It shouldn’t be a factor in allowing me to continue to serve.”

Manzella, 30, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2002 and was twice deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While under fire on the streets of Baghdad, he provided medical care to his fellow soldiers, Iraqi National Guardsmen and civilians. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, and also received several other awards recognizing his courage and service.

For more information on Sergeant Manzella, SLDN and the campaign to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” visit www.sldn.org.
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What's interesting about this case is that the Army kept him on active duty for about 18 months, deployed to Iraq, even after his command knew he was gay, and so did all of his battle buddies. The command even did an investigation on him, and concluded he wasn't gay, despite Manzella telling them and providing evidence that he was -- the command needed this combat medic, and he was well-liked by his unit, not to mention he was critical to their safety, and helped save their lives.

Then, when Manzella went public in about as high-profile a way as can be imagined (on 60-Minutes), the Army still kept him for another 6 months.

Manzella wanted to stay in the Army, but he also wanted to do so honestly and with dignity and honor. Such is the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law that that is not possible.

You can see clips from the original 60-Minutes piece here, as well as an update -- the show will be re-aired on July 13, along with the update on Manzella's discharge.

http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/185/don39t_ask_don39t_tell

In typical Army style, they waited six months in hopes this would not be front page news.

I think what they did was wait until his assignment at his current base was over -- he was due to be transferred to Ft Drum; perhaps the command didn't want to transfer a "problem" to another command. Who knows? I'm surprised he lasted for the 6 months after the 60 Minutes piece aired last December. Hard to be more "open" than that.

I felt I had to repost this entry from Silent-Surface on this topic from In the News. It is one of the most eloquent statements about gays serving openly that I have yet come across:

quote:

Originally posted by Silent_Surface:

I served most of my career in the Submarine community.... which probably ranks right at the top as far as places where you have little or no personal privacy.

For the people you deal with day in and day out, at the end of a deployment, you know these guys better than you probably know your best childhood friend.

In that community, I worked with men that I knew were gay. They did not flaunt it, but they did not go out of their way to hide it. In that community, it would be tough to hide it anyway.

I saw several of them targeted.... for whatever reason the Command went after them. To a man, they were excellent Sailors, and very professional SubMariners.

In the Submarine community, when underway, you HAVE to depend on each other. You are in an environment where, when the stuff hits the fan, and there is real danger... Fire, Flooding, Hydraulic ruptures, hi pressure air line ruptures.... the Shipmate who happens to be closest to the casualty when it happens is the man whose actions very likely will either contain the casualty without severe damage and loss of life, or whose inaction could conceivably kill people.

Of the men I saw discharged for being Gay, every one of them was a man whom I would want beside me when a casualty went down. There was No Doubt that losing these men was a detriment to the Boat, and to the Navy.

I am a straight.... married for over 20 years, with a wife and 3 kids I would die for. I can not comprehend personally why anyone would prefer a same sex relationship, BUT.... that is their decision, and their lifestyle choice, not mine.

Just as it is none of my business who my straight ShipMates choose to live with, and share their personal life with, it is also none of my business who my Gay ShipMates choose to live with, and share their personal life with.

When I looked at any Shipmate, whether as a Friend, or for the purpose of Evaluations which would affect their career, I looked at: Are they dependable? Are they knowledgeable about their job? Do they do the BEST that they can do? Would I want them beside me when the world is falling down around our ears. Their sexual orientation was the least of my concerns.

If you throw out all of the subjective BS, and the emotional rhetoric, and the personal feelings about someones lifestyle, it comes down to a very simple question. Are they a valuable asset?

If the answer is "Yes", it is insanity to remove them from service simply because their lifestyle choice is not understood, or because it offends someone.

In the example of the individual in this thread, which is preferable, to have him treating your wounds in an effort to save your life, regardless of his sexual orientation, or to die because a Medic was not available?

To me, that's a no brainer.

My $0.02

And my response to Silent_Surface:



Silent_Surface, I have seldom heard it expressed more eloquently than that. I wish they would have you testify in front of Congress when they get around to having hearings on repeal of DADT (which might be as early as this fall). I think the opponents of gays serving honestly might have their eyes opened a bit by your experience and words. And Bleah's too, of course, a currently openly gay submariner.

Of further interest to the submarine community, it was the an openly gay submariner who helped to convince General John Shaliskashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (who had to implement DADT) that gays could now serve honorably in the military without it being a detriment to combat readiness. In fact, you can see this guy in the 60-Minutes piece: click on the video "They All Served" at this link: http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/185/don39t_ask_don39t_tell

SGT Manzella is going to be actively working on getting DADT repealed. His story is a great example of how stupid the law and policies are.

Sergeant Manzella Comes OUt, Is Kicked Out

by Aubrey Sarvis, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
July 1, 2008 http://sldn.org

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aubrey-sarvis/sergeant-ma...omes-o_b_110161.html

Combat medic Sergeant Darren Manzella was forcibly discharged from the U. S. Army last month. The sergeant's transgression? He had the temerity to go on 60 Minutes last December while stationed in Kuwait and tell Lesley Stahl and fifteen million other Americans that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was not only flat-out wrong, it didn't even work. It was a fundamental failure.

The Army couldn't ignore what fifteen million Americans had just seen: a soldier telling the world that he was gay. True, he was doing his job and, as everyone acknowledged, a good job at that. Many of his superior officers and fellow soldiers were fully aware that he was gay because he'd told them. His officers replied, in effect, "No, you're not. Get back to work."

Before 60 Minutes aired, nobody really cared. The Army needed Sergeant Manzella. It needed him just as much after 60 Minutes aired, but if his appearance there didn't violate "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), then nothing did. Suddenly Sergeant Manzella became a very high profile case marked "handle with care" and reviewed at the top. It took nearly six months for the Army to restore law and order in its ranks by getting rid of him under the DADT law. The Army cited his appearance on 60 Minutes as a basis for his discharge. It's right there in his paper work. And right there on his DD 214 discharge paper that employers always want to see, it names the reason for his separation: homosexuality. I am not making this up.

When Congress enacted "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in 1993, it ignored the conclusions of several studies, including an exhaustive Rand Corporation report that the Pentagon itself had commissioned, and gave in to fear mongering and homophobia instead. The Joint Chiefs, their Chairman, and the senior military leadership all put aside common sense and their own reports to push for a law that violated the basic civil rights of one particular group of citizens solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. Job discrimination in the Pentagon became the law of the land.

Sadly, Darren Manzella is just one of the latest casualties of this law. Former Air Force Sergeant David Hall is another. He was first in his Air Force ROTC class, granted a prized slot for pilot training, and then DADT came crashing down on him too. His transgression? He'd been dating the male cadet ranked number three in the class. Another two promising Air Force careers prematurely ended, two more unnecessary and expensive losses for the country.

Patriots like these are being treated as though they were convicted felons and unceremoniously booted out. Ironically, this is happening at the very time the Pentagon is actively recruiting really serious convicted felons in order to keep its numbers up. I am not making this up.

And guess who wants to hire discharged, decorated medics like Darren, talented information technology specialists like David Hall, doctors like Martin Chin and linguists like Stephen Benjamin? None other than our own United States government. Recruiters from the State Department and other federal agencies are calling Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), and asking to be put in touch with the men and women the military has just discharged. I am not making this up either.

In an Administration known for its religiosity, the Pentagon and State Department seem to have taken to heart the Biblical injunction, "let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth."

On a December afternoon in 1955, the Alabama seamstress Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Birmingham bus. She was tired that day, and tired of the indignities she had suffered. She had had enough. When police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City on a June night in 1969, gay and lesbian and transgender Americans fought back. They had had enough. The civil rights movement didn't begin with Rosa Parks, and the struggle for LGBT rights didn't begin with the Stonewall riots, but both events were catalysts for great social change.

And now Darren Manzella has said "Enough!" He is scheduled to say it again on 60 Minutes July 13th.

As Michelle Obama said last week in New York City, "...from Selma to Stonewall, in pursuit of that more perfect union." That is the promise of this country. It's time we realized it. It's time to end this nonsense. It's time to stand with Sergeant Manzella and say: Enough is enough.

Land of the free?

Gay soldier discharged from Army months after coming out on ‘60 Minutes’

Months after announcing on national television that he is gay, Army Sgt. Darren Manzella was finally discharged from the military last month.

Manzella, who gained notoriety when he appeared on CBS’ “60 Minutes” in December, was separated from the service on June 10.

In his interview with “60 Minutes,” Manzella discussed the events that unfolded after he came out to his commanding officer in 2006. His coming out led to an Army investigation about his sexual orientation. During the inquiry, Manzella identified himself as gay on a questionnaire and submitted a video of himself kissing his then-boyfriend. Despite this evidence, the Army determined that Manzella was not gay and allowed him to continue to serve.

Manzella continued to talk about being openly gay in the military with other media outlets, including the Blade, and was a featured speaker at an annual dinner for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the lead organization in the fight against the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prevents gays from serving openly.

His willingness to speak to the media finally pushed the Army to take action against him. On March 3, about a week before the SLDN dinner, Manzella’s commander at Ft. Hood in Texas informed him that he had been recommended for a discharge. Attached to the recommendation was a transcript of the “60 Minutes” piece and a copy of an article from the Associated Press.

Army officials informed Manzella that he should prepare to be discharged within 10 to 14 days, but he didn’t receive his discharge orders until late in April. After completing his terminal leave, Manzella was officially separated from the Army June 10 and given an honorable discharge.

“All I’ve really been doing is just telling the story, what has happened,” he said. “I have a little bit more liberty to speak about that now that I’m not active in the military.”

The former soldier said he was not surprised that he was discharged because SLDN informed him that his discharge was a risk when he made his story public. But Manzella thought it was curious that the Army waited until March to take action against him when the “60 Minutes” piece aired in December, and was beginning to think the service would let him stay despite his being openly gay in the military.

“They realized that a good soldier is an asset, whether they be straight or gay, and I started to think they were going to keep me,” Manzella said.

Manzella, 30, joined the Army in 2002 and worked at Ft. Hood as a lead instructor for Combat Lifesaver program, which trains non-medical soldiers in first aid procedures to assist medical personnel. He was deployed twice to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom and earned the Combat Medical Badge for providing medical support for soldiers.

During his discharge proceedings, Manzella had the opportunity to request a board to rebut statements that he made to the press. Such boards are available to all service members undergoing discharge proceedings and are not restricted to troops being discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But Manzella waved this option.

“I said I wouldn’t take back anything,” he said. “It would defeat the purpose of why I parti****ted in the segment. It would defeat the purpose of working with SLDN.”

Manzella had the same commanding officers in 2006 as he did when discharge proceedings started this year, so the same people who determined he was not gay in the earlier investigation determined in 2008 there was sufficient evidence now of his sexual orientation.

Army Maj. Dave Shoupe, spokesperson for the 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, said Manzella’s discharge is a closed legal action and the Army cannot discuss the matter because of privacy rights.

The former soldier said his co-workers were generally supportive of his decision to be out in the military and making an appearance on “60 Minutes.” When the recommendation for a discharge came down, Manzella’s supervisor was surprised that the Army made the decision to separate him, he said.

But the situation with his company commander was more difficult.

After the “60 Minutes” piece aired, Manzella had an intense discussion with his company commander. Manzella described the conversation as “friendly,” but also said his company commander “wasn’t pleased.”

The company commander asked Manzella what his intentions were behind his appearance on TV, to which Manzella responded that he wanted to help repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The company commander said repealing the law wasn’t going to happen, Manzella said.

“And I said, ‘Well you’re entitled to your opinion and I can have my opinion and I believe that it will be repealed,’” Manzella said.

Manzella emphasized to his superiors that his actions were not a personal attack on his command and he only wanted to show the injustice of military policy toward gays.

“I had no vendettas or grudges against anyone in my command,” he said. “My distaste is for the policy and the law, not the people who were forced to enforce it upon me.”

With his discharge finalized, the former soldier moved to Washington about a month ago and is now temporarily working with SLDN in planning and attending events across the United States. Many of the events are also fundraisers for SLDN.

At the events, Manzella talks about his story and the impact of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

“I focus on how detrimental [the policy] is to the military — to have these capable and competent armed forces members removed,” he said.

Adam Ebbin, spokesperson for SLDN, said Manzella parti****ting in organization events helps “put a human face” on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

“There’s no one more effective in explaining the outrageousness of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ than a service member who’s lived through it, particularly a service member who’s served with distinction in a war zone,” Ebbin said.

Manzella is still considering career options. He is thinking about medical school or physician assistant school.

The former soldier said the experience of being out in the military, making media appearances and ultimately being discharged from service has made him “much more aware” of his identity.

“My belief that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ needs to be repealed has magnified significantly because I’m personally affected by it now,” he said.


http://www.washingtonblade.com/2008/7-4/news/national/12890.cfm

60-Minutes is running this story again tonight, with an update on Manzellas' ultimate discharge, some 6 months after this story aired (which means that the Army and his command, as well as all his battle buddies) knew he was gay for nearly two years, and it obviously didn't create any negative morale, cohesion of detriment to combat readiness.