Choi Hearing Being Closely Watched

Updated: Board recommends Lt. Choi's discharge (below the "fold").

Throughout the day, a hearing has been taking place in Syracuse, NY to determine if Lt. Dan Choi will be the first soldier discharged from the NY National Guard for violating the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Lt. Choi's fate is in the hands of a four officer panel at Hancock Air Base. The panel is expected to make a recommendation to the commanding general of the First US Army this evening.

Choi is a 2003 West Point graduate who majored in  Arabic. He served as an interpreter in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. He left active duty and joined the NY Guard in June of 2008.

While his dismissal is virtually a foregone conclusion, Choi brought with him a petition of support with over 250,000 signatures as well as over 150 letters. Lt. Choi has support throughout the ranks, from "grunts" who have served under him, to several generals. Appaarently, Lt. Choi is going to make his dismissal as difficult for the military as possible.

By not going away quietly, Lt. Choi has shown enormous character. His stubborn resistance to an unfair policy represents advocacy at its very best.

The Washington Post reports that the four-officer panel has recommended that Lt. Choi be discharged for declaring that he is gay in violation of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. The recommendation must be approved by the First Army commander and the chief of the National Guard Bureau before Choi is discharged, a process that could take anywhere from a few weeks to a year.