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‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy change eagerly awaited by area Air Force officer

Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach feels sense of urgency to Obama’s renewed promise to repeal law

'Don't ask, don't tell' policy should be lifted, top military officer says

Do you think people should be allowed to serve in the military if they are openly gay?

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By Margo Rutledge Kissell, Staff Writer Updated 11:43 PM Monday, February 1, 2010

Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach knows he could receive his final discharge papers any day.

The decorated military weapons systems officer is being recommended for discharge for homosexual conduct after 19 years of military service.

He was outed by a civilian and a board of inquiry hearing was held last April.

The Dayton-area native feels a sense of urgency to President Barack Obama’s renewed promise to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the law banning gays from openly serving in the military.

A special investigation into how the ban can be repealed without hurting the morale or readiness of the troops was expected to be announced today, Feb. 2, by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Gates and Mullen are scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Fehrenbach, 40, who graduated from Wayne High School in Huber Heights, said he was disappointed the president addressed the controversial issue “in one sentence” during his State of the Union address last week.

“What I really wanted to hear was a real plan, a real timeline and positive action,” he said in an interview from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, where he is assistant director of operations for the 366th Operations Support Squadron.

In 2008, 633 military personnel were discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which is providing free legal representation to Fehrenbach.

According to figures released by the Pentagon on Monday, Feb. 1, 428 service members were fired in 2009 for being openly gay, compared to 619 in 2008. In 1997, 997 service members were dismissed.

Overall, more than 10,900 troops have been fired under the policy.

At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where Fehrenbach was born, two airmen were administratively discharged under the law in the last two years — one in 2009 and another in 2008, base spokesman Derek Kaufman said.

No one was discharged under the law in 2006 or 2007.

Since he went public with his story last year, Fehrenbach — who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo and was awarded nine air medals, including one for heroism during the 2003 invasion of Iraq — said those he serves with have not treated him any differently.

“They are dedicated to the mission and could care less what someone does in their private life,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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