The Human Rights Campaign, in partnership with Servicemembers United, launched the “Voices of Honor” tour in 2010 to elevate the voices of straight and LGBT military vets speaking out against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The tour included stops in over 50 cities and concluded with a Veterans Lobby Day co-sponsored by over 70 other organizations.
The personal stories of participating vets were vital to helping America better understand the need for repealing DADT. Read more about these veterans.LGBT Veterans
Eric Alva
Eric Alva served with the U.S. Marine Corps for 13 years. During that time, he served in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope and was stationed in Japan and California before his last deployment to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In January 2003, in the buildup to the war, Alva’s unit, the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines, was deployed to the Middle East. His unit was among the first to cross the border of Kuwait into Iraq for the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Three hours into the ground war, his unit stopped to rest. While stepping out of his vehicle, Alva triggered a landmine. The violent explosion threw him 15 feet from the vehicle, and left him with a broken left leg, a broken right arm that was torn open and had severe nerve damage, and a badly injured right leg that was later amputated. He became the first American wounded in the war and the war’s first Purple Heart recipient.
After 13 years of military service, Alva retired as a staff sergeant and went back to college to finish his degree. While at school, he decided to be true to himself and help others, and came out as gay. On Feb. 28, 2007, he joined Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., in introducing the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill designed to repeal the military’s DADT policy.
Jarrod Chlapowski
Jarrod Chlapowski, 27, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2000 and trained as a Korean linguist and cryptologic voice interceptor. He worked as an interpreter and translator in Korea and as a squadron schools non-commissioned officer at Ft. Lewis, W.A.
Chlapowski came to terms with his sexuality after joining the Army and, after coming out within his unit, he experienced widespread acceptance by his peers. However, after witnessing the discharges of several fellow service members, Chlapowski chose not to re-enlist because of DADT’s the excessive burden.
In November 2005, Chlapowski teamed up with Alex Nicholson to develop the aggressive 18-city Call to Duty Tour, a seven-week public education initiative which put a human face on the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" issue. Chlapowski has spoken before U.S. House of Representatives and Senate staffers regarding the financial costs of DADT and has met with politicians and military leaders, contributing to the current momentum in the movement to repeal the law. Chlapowski also was a key member of HRC’s 2007 Legacy of Service Tour, and was instrumental in placing 12,000 flags on the National Mall to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the implementation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Alexander Nicholson
Alexander Nicholson is the founder and executive director of Servicemembers United, the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, and is one of the nation's top leaders in the fight to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." A former U.S. Army human intelligence collector who speaks multiple foreign languages, including Arabic, Nicholson was discharged from the military because of DADT just six months after 9/11.
In 2005, Nicholson went public about his own experience with DADT and began organizing to encourage other gay, lesbian and straight veterans, especially Iraq- and Afghanistan-era troops and veterans, to get involved in advocacy and activism on the DADT issue. Nicholson is the creator of several of the most well-known initiatives to highlight and draw nationwide attention to the issue, including the 2006 "Call To Duty Tour" and the 2007 "12,000 Flags for 12,000 Patriots" event on the National Mall. He is also one of the primary organizers behind the 2007 "Legacy of Service Tour" and the 2009 "Voices of Honor Tour."
Julianne Sohn
Julianne Sohn served for five years as a public affairs officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and Marine Reserve. Sohn’s active-duty assignments include serving with the consolidated Public Affairs Office of the III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan, from 2000 to 2001. She also served as the public affairs officer for the 6th Marine Corps Recruiting District, headquartered in Parris Island, S.C., from 2001 to 2003. Sohn left the Marine Corps in 2003 due to the strain of serving under the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy.
In 2005, Sohn was activated from the Individual Ready Reserve and served with the 5th Civil Affairs Group in Fallujah, Iraq, and then later in Ramadi. In spring 2006, Sohn chose to speak out about her experiences serving under DADT and joined the Call to Duty Tour, a national speaking tour that sought to reignite debate about the law. Sohn was subsequently forced to resign her commission under the DADT policy while in the Individual Ready Reserve in 2008.
Joe Soto
Joe Soto was born and raised in Hershey, Pa., and received a congressional appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he majored in history. Soto received his B.S. degree upon graduation and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. He served for eight years as a supply/logistics officer, achieving the rank of captain before he was honorably discharged.
Soto’s military assignments included command positions at Parris Island, S.C., a recruiting tour in Pennsylvania and staff assignments at Camp Lejeune, N.C. and Okinawa, Japan. While he was in the Marine Corps, he received his M.B.A. from Webster University.
Michael Noftzger
Michael Noftzger enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1999. Upon completion of basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga., he attended Psychological Operations training at Ft. Bragg, N.C. He then became airborne qualified and attended the Basic Military Language Course located at Ft. Bragg, N.C..
Once at his duty station, Noftzger worked in support of U.S. operations in South America, spending six months attached to the Military Information Support Team in Bogota, Colombia, in support of programs to further U.S. goals in the region.
Noftzger achieved the rank of Specialist/E-4 before being honorably discharged in May of 2003.
Noftzger plans on attending law school and hopes to work with soldiers who are being discharged under the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy.
Megan McDonald Scanlon
Megan McDonald Scanlon grew up in Ridgewood, N.J. Upon graduation from high school, Scanlon entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where she majored in systems engineering and minored in legal studies. Upon graduation from West Point, Scanlon was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Transportation Corps.
After graduating from the officer’s advanced course and the Combined Arms and Services Staff School in 2001, Scanlon was stationed at Fort Polk, La., as a transportation support operations officer in a corps support battalion. Immediately following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Scanlon’s battalion was mobilized to the England Air Force Base in Alexandria, La., where Scanlon coordinated the airfield operation and deployment of units to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
She is now a practicing attorney in Williamsburg, Va., where she lives with her partner and their two children.
Julie Mendoza
Julie Mendoza was born in Santa Fe, N.M. In 1987, and after graduating from high school, she enlisted in the United States Air Force. As an airman, she attended the non-commissioned officers preparatory course and later attended Airman Leadership School, where she received the Commandant’s Award for Leadership. As a non-commissioned officer, Mendoza attended the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.
During Mendoza’s career, she was stationed at various locations around the world. She deployed in support of humanitarian/military operations in Panama, the Persian Gulf, Turkey, Somalia/Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti, Afghanistan and Iraq.
She retired in 2008 from active duty - in silence - as a master sergeant, with full military honors.
Pepe Johnson
A native of Clarksburg, W.V., Pepe Johnson, 31, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2000 and completed One Station Unit Training as a cannon crewmember at Fort Sill, Okla., where he remained after training and was selected as the Fort Sill Soldier of the Year in 2001. His awards include the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal (5OL).
Like many gay veterans, Johnson did not come to terms with his sexual orientation until he was serving in the military. As a soldier, and later as a noncommissioned officer, he was taught the importance of values - including integrity. He chose to confront "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" head on and came out to his commander.
Felix Arrieta
Born in Panama in January of 1962, Felix Arrieta graduated from Instituto Panamericano in 1980 and in September 1981 joined the U.S. Air Force, where his tours of duty included Japan, Hawaii, Panama and Oklahoma. In Panama, Felix participated in Operation Just Cause; in Oklahoma, Felix supervised daily operations of all cargo transported to the Middle East during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
In December 1992, Arrieta was honorably discharged from active duty and two years later, he joined the Texas Air National Guard in Dallas, Texas. In the spring of 2002, Arrieta volunteered to participate in a support mission for Operation Enduring Freedom in Rhein Main Air Base, Germany. In April 2005, Arrieta retired from military service after serving 20 years under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' - 11 years of active duty and 9 years in the Guard.
Kevin Vick
After graduating summa cum laude from Mississippi College with a B.A. in modern languages, Kevin Vick, 30, enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2003. He trained as an Arabic language airborne cryptologic linguist at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif. Vick was then stationed at Offutt Air Forces Base where he maintained top proficiency in Arabic, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Additionally, he worked as the primary Cryptologic Responsible Officer, accountable for the communications security of one of the largest intelligence squadrons in the Air Force. Concurrently, Vick was assigned to work as the command language program manager, supporting training and language proficiency for squadron personnel. He deployed in support of various operations and missions including Operation Enduring Freedom.
Vick was aware of his sexuality before joining the military, but his desire to serve his country outweighed his frustration with the military's discriminatory policies. During his service, however, Vick became increasingly appalled at the hypocrisy of DADT, as he saw co-workers, of exemplary moral character and integrity, discharged simply on the basis of their sexual orientation. As he felt this systemic discrimination undermined the very foundation of unit cohesion and the principles the military upholds, Vick chose to not re-enlist in 2009.
Scott T. Bilyou
Scott T. Bilyou (age 33) is a veteran of the United States Air Force (94-98) and served with the 71st Security Forces Squadron at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. While serving at Vance, Scott took temporary duties at Dhahran Air Base, Saudi Arabia and Ali Al Saleem Air Base, Kuwait and also served on the search and rescue team in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing. After completing an honorable discharge, Scott went on to finish his Finance degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He currently is an Assistant Vice President and Certified Retirement Services Professional at a privately held Bank in Indianapolis.
Walker Burttschell
Walker Burttschell graduated as Battalion Commander from his hometown high school’s JROTC. After that, Walker enrolled in ROTC at the University of West Florida with the intention of graduating with a business degree and receiving his commission as an officer. After September 11th, however, due to overwhelming sense of patriotism, Walker dropped out of college to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2001 as an MP.
At his duty station, Walker witnessed a friend and fellow Marine endure discharge proceedings, and at the same time was himself ‘outed.’ As a discharge under DADT would result in his conservative family discovering his orientation, Walker became paranoid and depressed. Unfortunately, however, Walker’s ‘outing’ would eventually lead to his discharge. Walker now works for an international real estate developer where he has been a leader in sustainability and "green" initiatives for that industry, and is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Straight Allies
Stephen Vossler
Stephen Vossler, 26, enlisted in the United States Army in 2000 and graduated basic combat training four days prior to 9/11. He went on to train as a Korean language cryptologic linguist.
While in training, Vossler had the opportunity to be the roommate of a gay soldier who was being discharged under the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. Vossler noticed that the process of discharge was emotionally draining to his roommate, and caused him to be alienated from new soldiers of the unit because it gave him the stigma of being a "bad soldier." Vossler was angered that his friend was considered "bad" simply for being himself.
At that same time, Vossler began developing a close friendship with another colleague in his unit, Jarrod Chlapowski. When he finally discovered Chlapowski’s sexual orientation, the awkwardness Vossler initially felt quickly subsided as he came to the realization that knowing that Chlapowski was gay was a good thing. The fact that Chlapowski had been so genuinely respectful actually strengthened their friendship, as it was a testament to Chlapowski’s honesty and integrity.
Genevieve Chase
Genevieve Chase is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and the founder and executive director of American Women Veterans.
Chase enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2003 and, following training, volunteered to serve 32 months with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). She deployed as a sergeant to Afghanistan and, on April 7, 2006, while returning from a routine meeting, Chase’s vehicle was attacked by a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. The passengers survived the attack with minor external injuries, but suffered varying degrees of traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Chase is currently a staff sergeant waiting to attend Warrant Officer Candidate School and works as a defense contractor. Chase resides in Alexandria, V.A.
Ruben Gallego
Ruben M. Gallego was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1979. Gallego enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves in 2000, fulfilling a lifelong dream of service to his country. He did his basic training at Parris Island, S.C., and Infantry School at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Gallego served in the USMCR concurrently while attending Harvard University. In his senior year, he was activated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served in Operation Noble Eagle. His second activation took him to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom III. Gallego participated in 16 combat operations and many more combat patrols.
While in Iraq, Gallego grew frustrated with the lack of reliable interpreters and intelligence. Upon returning, he found out that many Arab linguists had been separated due to the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. Gallego became more sympathetic to the importance if repealing the policy when his lifelong friend and fellow veteran came out as gay. His friend explained to him the difficulty he encountered with "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." Gallego soon found himself working as an ally for LGBT issues.
Anu Bhagwati
Anu Bhagwati is a former Marine Corps captain. She served from 1999 to 2004 as a communications officer and a martial arts instructor trainer (black belt, first degree). She was a radio platoon commander in Okinawa, Japan, and a company commander at Marine Combat Training Battalion, School of Infantry, Camp LeJeune.
In 2009, Bhagwati became the executive director of Service Women’s Action Network, a New York City-based non-partisan advocacy and legal services organization for servicewomen and women veterans. She has testified before Congress on the challenges faced by women in the military, including military sexual trauma and obstacles in accessing VA healthcare and benefits.
Robert E. Taylor
Robert E. Taylor is a husband and father of three children. He served in the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2005 as a Korean Linguist.
While training at the Defense Language Institute, Taylor served and became friends with a number of gay and lesbian troops. From August 2003 until May 2004, he served in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom IV with the 110th MI Battalion out of Ft. Drum, N.Y. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Counseling at Covenant Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, Mo., where he resides with his family.
Tess Banko
Tess Banko enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2000. She attended Engineer School in Camp Lejeune, N.C., training as an Electronic Equipment Repair Specialist, and was assigned to Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan, where she earned two sea service deployment ribbons.
As a Marine, Banko was dedicated to the quality of life issues facing fellow service members — including gay and lesbian members of the military with whom she served. It was upon witnessing a gay counterpart’s harassment following a routine room inspection and the challenges that he faced at camp that Banko realized she could help by serving as an advocate.