Manzella, Darren, former Sergeant, U.S. Army (2002-2008)

Army Veteran Sergeant Darren Manzella has served two tours of duty in the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A decorated healthcare specialist, Manzella provided critical care on the streets of Baghdad and been praised and rewarded for his work. He returned from his second tour of duty in December 2007 where he served as an openly Soldier for the entirety of the rotation, to both his colleagues and his command.

Manzella, 31, joined the U.S. Army in 2002 and was assigned, following basic training, to the 1-82nd Field Artillery Battalion Aid Station at Fort Hood, Texas, where he was a health care specialist for his battalion. Additionally, Manzella served as the lead instructor and coordinator for the Combat Lifesaver program, which trains non-medical Soldiers emergency first aid procedures to assist the medical personnel in treating and evacuating injured Soldiers and civilians in a combat situation. In March 2004, Manzella deployed to Iraq, where he provided medical coverage, emergency treatment and evacuation during more than one hundred 12-hour duties on the streets of Baghdad. While under fire, Manzella provided medical care to his fellow soldiers, Iraqi National Guardsmen and Iraqi civilians. His care during an attack in Iraq earned him the Combat Medical Badge, and he is also the recipient of several other awards recognizing his courage and duty to service in the warzone.

Following threats of outing and a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” investigation by his command, Manzella wrote in a letter that, “I don’t think most people can understand how hard it is to have to hide their true self; to have to pretend to be someone that they are not; to be scared that you’ll be ostracized for being different; to be told that you’re wrong if you live a certain life . . . that concerns no one else but yourself. . . . I am proud of myself and of the accomplishments I have achieved in my life.”

“I know that being gay would not have made a difference in receiving my college degree . . . .,” Manzella wrote, “[in] my time spent as a psychiatric counselor . . . [and] certainly didn’t make a difference when I treated injuries and saved lives in the streets of Baghdad.”

Manzella reports that he was met with overwhelming support from both his fellow soldiers and his superiors after coming out. The investigation into his personal life was closed and the Army deployed Manzella later that year for a second tour of duty in the Middle East – again in Baghdad and then Kuwait – in 2006.

A member of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network speakers bureau, Manzella has told his story about serving openly to CBS News 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, making him one of the first openly gay, active duty service members to speak with media while serving inside the warzone.

In March of 2008 Manzella was informed by his commander at Fort Hood, Texas, that he was being recommended for discharge under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; a copy of the 60 Minutes transcript was attached to the discharge recommendation. On June 10, 2008, Iraq War Veteran and Army Sergeant Darren Manzella was separated from the military with an Honorable Discharge.

Today Manzella resides in Washington, DC, working with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network to continue the fight against and repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Using his personal experiences, he continues to speak out publicly and travels the country educating society by adding a personal perspective to expose the harmful effects and discrimination of the current law banning open service of gay and lesbian Americans.