personnel called outserve. the pseudonym was j.d. smith. today outserve s magazine published a feature called 101 faces of courage. that includes real photos and real bios and real names of 100 other gay service members plus the real j.d. smith. joining us now live from washington, d.c., at a party hosted by the service members legal defense network for the very first time not in silhouette is united states air force first lieutenant josh seifried who will never again have to be known as j.d. smith. he s the founder of outserve and author of our time. joining us, newly retired colonel victor farenbach who came out on this program. he fought his discharge under don t ask, don t tell and won. i have to say, congratulations. thank you so much for joining us tonight. thank you, rachel. this is a great day for everyone here. all the service members across,
because it s a really exciting, loud celebration? there s a little disco action going on. everyone s shouting behind us. it s a great day it s a great excitement for everything that s going on today. it s a great day for america and our military. lieutenant, formally known as j.d. smith on this program, let me start with you. how has it felt to you personally to be able to say who you are, to have spent this first 24 hours in the new military? it feels like a huge burden has been lifted off your shoulders. i mean, there s not a single day you cannot think about this policy while serving in the military. knowing today there s a career i have an opportunity to have where i don t have to be scared of who i am and who i love that i can be part of the military family and i m so excited about it. and i think every other gay person in the military feels the exact same way. josh, do you feel like there is a need for a group like outserve to continue?
published a feature called 101 faces of courage. that includes real photos and real bios and real names of 100 other gay service members plus the real j.d. smith. joining us now live from washington, d.c., at a party hosted by the service members legal defense network for the very first time not in silhouette is united states air force first lieutenant josh seifried who will never again have to be known as j.d. smith. he s the founder of outserve and author of our time. joining us, newly retired colonel victor farenbach who came out on this program. he fought his discharge under don t ask, don t tell and won. i have to say, congratulations. thank you so much for joining us tonight. thank you, rachel. this is a great day for everyone here. all the service members across, all around the world. are you guys wearing those little janet jackson mikes
the mission. that s all they care about. there may be isolated cases. across the board we took our time, got everybody trained. i think people have been expecting this for the last ten months or so. i think we re ready. i think those cases will be very isolated. let me go back to josh seefried, founder of outserve and author of this new book out today our time: breaking the silence of don t ask, don t tell, with names and faces and real stories of people who are openly gay serving in the military as of today. josh, thinking about serving in the air force right now, is a person who is on active duty and who is now newly really not anonymous. will it be difficult not to be anonymous as an activist? you re out in the air force as a gay man but also out in the air force as somebody who was an activist to get this policy change. is this going to affect your ability to fit in with your unit? absolutely not. when i go back to work, i m going to go back in there and do
i think people have been expecting this for the last ten months or so. i think we re ready. i think those cases will be very isolated. let me go back to josh seefried, founder of outserve and author of this new book out today our time: breaking the silence of don t ask, don t tell, with names and faces and real stories of people who are openly gay serving in the military as of today. josh, thinking about serving in the air force right now, is a person who is on active duty and who is now newly really not anonymous. will it be difficult not to be anonymous as an activist? you re out in the air force as a gay man but also out in the air force as somebody who was an activist to get this policy change. is this going to affect your ability to fit in with your unit? absolutely not. when i go back to work, i m going to go back in there and do a good job, that i was signed up to do, that i raised my right hand for. that s the united states air