Latest News
05-21-09
Posted May 20th, 2009 by Leo Shane in Stripes Central
Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach was fairly upset when he spotted this article on Tuesday, because it could mean an end to his hopes of keeping his job.
Fehrenbach, an 18-year airman who has served overseas tours in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, faces a discharge from the service after a review board found he had violated the Defense Department's ban on homosexuals serving openly in the ranks.
The F-15 pilot said he was grounded last spring, just weeks before his unit deployed to Iraq, when a civilian acquaintance told his commanders that Fehrenbach might be gay. Fehrenbach said he doesn't know why he was outed -- for almost two decades, he had kept his sexual orientation a secret from military officials -- but the tip began a year-long review which culminated in a recommendation for discharge earlier this week.
"It was never my intention to come out publicly," he said in an interview today. "The other airmen in my unit had no idea about it until they found out last night (after an appearance on MSNBC). It had zero impact on my job.
"I had a lot of hope in September, when I heard about (Obama's) plans to overturn the law. Now, I'm hoping that by coming out and telling my story that the president will move faster on this."
For now, there's no indication that will happen.
The White House publicly remains committed to overturning the ban, but last week press secretary Robert Gibbs noted that the president won't intervene in current cases against men and women who announce their homosexuality or who are outed by peers. Both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen have said any such move will take time to process and implement, and current war priorities are postponing those conversations.
Kevin Nix, spokesman for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said his group is asking the president to consider a working group to look at ways to implement the repeal of the ban, with a goal of a change in policy within 90 days. But so far the White House has maintained that changes must first come from Congress, and Obama has not offered public support for a bill already on Capitol Hill which would overturn the ban.
Meanwhile, the Boston Globe today reported the number of discharges under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy last year remained steady, down almost half from the 1,227 high in 2001.
Fehrenbach hopes to find some way to avoid becoming one of the highest-ranking servicemembers ever kicked out of the service under the rule.
"I followed the rules for 18 years," he said. "I didn't make the decision to come out. There's no reason I couldn't continue to do my job well."
Stripes Central: No Plans for a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal?
Posted May 20th, 2009 by Leo Shane in Stripes Central
Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach was fairly upset when he spotted this article on Tuesday, because it could mean an end to his hopes of keeping his job.
Fehrenbach, an 18-year airman who has served overseas tours in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, faces a discharge from the service after a review board found he had violated the Defense Department's ban on homosexuals serving openly in the ranks.
The F-15 pilot said he was grounded last spring, just weeks before his unit deployed to Iraq, when a civilian acquaintance told his commanders that Fehrenbach might be gay. Fehrenbach said he doesn't know why he was outed -- for almost two decades, he had kept his sexual orientation a secret from military officials -- but the tip began a year-long review which culminated in a recommendation for discharge earlier this week.
"It was never my intention to come out publicly," he said in an interview today. "The other airmen in my unit had no idea about it until they found out last night (after an appearance on MSNBC). It had zero impact on my job.
"I had a lot of hope in September, when I heard about (Obama's) plans to overturn the law. Now, I'm hoping that by coming out and telling my story that the president will move faster on this."
For now, there's no indication that will happen.
The White House publicly remains committed to overturning the ban, but last week press secretary Robert Gibbs noted that the president won't intervene in current cases against men and women who announce their homosexuality or who are outed by peers. Both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen have said any such move will take time to process and implement, and current war priorities are postponing those conversations.
Kevin Nix, spokesman for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said his group is asking the president to consider a working group to look at ways to implement the repeal of the ban, with a goal of a change in policy within 90 days. But so far the White House has maintained that changes must first come from Congress, and Obama has not offered public support for a bill already on Capitol Hill which would overturn the ban.
Meanwhile, the Boston Globe today reported the number of discharges under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy last year remained steady, down almost half from the 1,227 high in 2001.
Fehrenbach hopes to find some way to avoid becoming one of the highest-ranking servicemembers ever kicked out of the service under the rule.
"I followed the rules for 18 years," he said. "I didn't make the decision to come out. There's no reason I couldn't continue to do my job well."
