[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 145 (Thursday, October 8, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING LIEUTENANT DANIEL CHOI FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE UNITED STATES 
OF AMERICA AND OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, 
                   AND TRANSGENDER EQUALITY MOVEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 8, 2009

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize LT 
Daniel Choi for his service to the United States of America and 
outstanding contributions to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and 
Transgender, LGBT, equality movement as an Army officer, Iraq War 
veteran, and now civil rights activist. In clear defiance of ``Don't 
Ask, Don't Tell,'' the unjust law that prohibits LGBT service members 
from serving openly and honestly in the military, Lieutenant Choi 
courageously spoke three words on national television--``I am gay.'' In 
doing so, he knew that he was risking his military career, but was firm 
in the belief that he had chosen the harder right over the easier 
wrong. Lieutenant Choi was ultimately discharged, but has since devoted 
his life to activism in the hope that, one day soon, Don't Ask, Don't 
Tell will be repealed.
  Lieutenant Choi's story is one of excellence and leadership. He was 
born in February 1981 in Orange County, California and attended Tustin 
High School, where he was student body president, participated in the 
American Legion Boys State program, and was involved in various 
extracurricular activities ranging from Christian Club and Model United 
Nations to varsity swimming and marching band. It comes as no surprise 
that Lieutenant Choi was admitted to the prestigious U.S. Military 
Academy at West Point, where he continued to excel and learn the values 
that gave him purpose as an officer in the Army and activist for LGBT 
rights. It was at West Point that Lieutenant Choi first recited the 
Cadet Honor Code: ``A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate 
those who do.''
  In 2003, Lieutenant Choi became one of only eight graduates in his 
class to earn a degree in Arabic Language, in addition to Environmental 
Engineering. During his 10 years of honorable service to this nation, 
Lieutenant Choi served as an Infantry Officer. Specifically, he was a 
Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Battalion and Brigade Staff 
Officer, Iraqi Arabic language instructor, and civil-military and 
reconstruction engineer in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New 
York. For 15 months from 2006 to 2007, Lieutenant Choi saw duty as an 
Infantry Platoon Leader and Arabic linguist in South Baghdad, Iraq, 
providing an invaluable service to his fellow soldiers and the United 
States' mission by communicating quickly and clearly with the Iraqi 
people. In 2008, Lieutenant Choi became an Infantry Platoon Leader in 
the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry in Manhattan, 
New York.
  While an officer with the Army National Guard, Lieutenant Choi co-
founded KNIGHTS OUT: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender West Point 
Graduates, an organization of West Point alumni, staff, and faculty who 
are united in supporting the rights of LGBT soldiers to openly serve 
their country. On March 19, 2009, Lieutenant Choi appeared on MSNBC's 
The Rachel Maddow Show to discuss the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell 
policy. In a surprising announcement, Lieutenant Choi revealed that he 
was gay. Fully aware of the consequences, he refused to lie about who 
he is and accept a policy that compromises the integrity of the U.S. 
military and its service members. Despite testimony from his commanding 
officer, members of his unit, and fellow soldiers who served in Iraq, 
as well as 260,000 letters and signatures of support, a panel of New 
York National Guard officers recommended that Lieutenant Choi be 
discharged on June 30, 2009.
  Guided by the same values he learned at West Point and in the Army, 
Lieutenant Choi now advocates for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell 
and the reversal of Proposition 8 in California, an amendment to the 
state constitution that recognizes marriage as between only one man and 
one woman. He continues to raise public and political awareness of 
issues that affect LGBT service members and the LGBT community as a 
whole.
  Madam Speaker, the West Point Cadet Prayer teaches cadets ``. . . 
never to be content with a half-truth when the whole can be won.'' 
Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a no-truth policy and must be repealed. I am 
honored and humbled by Lieutenant Choi's selfless example and, although 
he is no longer in uniform, he continues to fight for the freedom of 
all Americans to be the best they can be, gay or straight.

                          ____________________