An openly gay
sailor in the U.S. Navy who was discharged in 2005 after
coming out to his command was subsequently recalled to duty
in 2006 and has been serving actively in Kuwait
with the Naval Customs Battalion Bravo, according to
an article published in Sunday's Stars and
Stripes.
Petty Officer
Jason Knight, a Hebrew linguist in Navy intelligence, said
he spent four years in the Navy, has buried fallen service
members as part of the Ceremonial Guard, and has
received awards for exemplary service. "However,
because I was gay, the Navy discharged me and recouped
my $13,000 sign-on bonus," he wrote in a letter to the
newspaper. "Nine months later, the Navy recalled me to
active duty. Did I accept despite everything that
happened? Of course I did, and I would do it again.
Because I love the Navy and I love my country."
Officer Knight
decided to make his sexual orientation known in 2005 while
he was in the process of annulling his marriage to his wife.
Since that time, he has been open about his sexuality
with his commanders and colleagues, many of whom have
spoken out in support of him.
"He's better than the average sailor at his
job," Bill Driver, the leading petty officer of
Knight's 15-person customs crew in Kuwait, told
Stars and Stripes. "It's not at all
a strange situation. As open as he is now, it was
under wraps for quite a while. It wasn't an
issue at work."
Steve Ralls,
director of communications for the Servicemembers Legal
Defense Network, a national advocacy group for gays and
lesbians serving in the military, said the situation
flies in the face of the justification for the
military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"The Navy has
reenlisted an openly gay sailor, which completely
undermines the assertion that anyone in the military thinks
that gay and lesbian military troops compromise unit
cohesion or morale," Ralls said. "Jason has been very
out to everyone he serves with, everyone has been very
supportive, and it shows that despite an official ban,
commanders and other service members are welcoming gays and
lesbians and it's not causing any problems in their
unit."
Knight is
scheduled to finish his tour of duty at the end of
June, and Ralls said he is considering trying to find a
way to continue his military career. Ralls added that
the Navy has declined to comment on this case. (The
Advocate)