Dan Choi, the West Point graduate, former Army officer and Iraq War veteran, was kicked out of the military after saying he was gay on the "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC in March 2009. In response, Choi wrote an open letter to President Barack Obama and Congress in which he called the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy a "slap in the face to me. It is a slap in the face to my soldiers, peers and leaders who have demonstrated that an infantry unit can be professional enough to accept diversity, to accept capable leaders, to accept skilled soldiers." Today, Choi seems in much better spirits. In the last few hours on his Twitter page, he's has been telling followers of his historic day, including taking the Army skills test, which he passed:
Although the Pentagon points out that he has not yet been sworn in and that it could take several weeks, it appears that Choi's attempt to be reinstated into the military has been successful. If so, it would make him the first openly gay man to enlist in the United States Armed Forces.
On the video below, which follows Choi before, during and after his re-enlistment in New York City, Choi says, "For all soldiers that want to return to duty, soldiers are still needed, patriotic Americans are eligible to come on back and serve their country, openly, acknowledging their partners, their families, and their lives. I encourage everyone. I think today is a great day that we can all celebrate. I'm going to be an enlisted man. They let me know that and I'm fully prepared to serve my country. I have college, so they would normally put me in as a specialist. I'm a little bit old for the Marines, I'm 29 and the Marines' cutoff is 28. The Army is 41 or under. I'm ready."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r407kvpn4us&feature=player_embedded
