The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan (May 06, 2007)

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06 May 2007 12:01 pm

An Intolerable Risk, Ctd

Petty Officer Jason Knight is, according to his commander "better than the average sailor at his job." But he realized he was gay, was cashiered by the Navy, and then, in what was either a clerical error or a sign of the military's manpower needs, called back to service. Knight complied. He's now serving as an openly gay sailor in the Gulf. An intolerable risk to morale, as John McCain would have it? Nah, according to his boss:

"It's not at all a strange situation. As open as [Jason] is now, it was under wraps for quite a while. It wasn't an issue at work."

Knight, of course, had to endure Peter Pace's comments decribing him as immoral human being beneath service to his country. Here's his response:

"I spent four years in the Navy, buried fallen servicemembers as part of the Ceremonial Guard, served as a Hebrew Linguist in Navy Intelligence, and received awards for exemplary service. However, because I was gay, the Navy discharged me and recouped my 13k sign-on bonus. 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. And despite Pace’s opinion, my shipmates support me."

So does the general public. Why not McCain? And why not his commander-in-chief?

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