Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy Sees 21 Year Old Lesbian Dismissed And Given Bill For $80,000

When Sara Isaacson came out to her commander as a lesbian, the 21 year old knew that there was a discharge on the cards, however what she didn’t expect was to have a bill of nearly $80,000 to pay the U.S. Army back for a scholarship for seven semesters as an out-of-state student.

Talking to Campus Progress about coming out to her commander and the events that lead on from this, Isaacson spoke of how she only came to the realisation she was lesbian after enrolling as a ROTC student at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, and when she did she wanted to be truthful and honest about it:

What it came down to for me is that I felt I needed to come out to my commander because of integrity. Integrity is one of the seven Army values and is something that they train us to live by every day, every second, whether someone’s watching or not. … Without realizing it, the policy (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy) really asks people to lie, to lie about who they are, to tell small lies about what they did or didn’t do. It’s something that I wasn’t willing to do because if I don’t have my values to fall back on, I have nothing.

Handing her commander a memo informing him she was gay and wanted to be honest about it, Isaacson said that he informed her that whilst the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy did not prohibit lesbians and gays in the military by giving him the letter she would have be dropped from them ROTC program and he would recommend she  should repay all the scholarship money

Amounting to $79, 265.14  Isaacson says that she has no idea how she would be able to pay it back having lost any financial aid she had from the UNC on entering the army, however she feels it was the right thing to do for herself:

“I decided that for me the best decision was to come out because I didn’t think I would be OK living with myself while compromising my integrity. For me, I don’t have a family to support. I’m just responsible for myself and everyone’s situation is really unique. Everyone has to come to that decision for themselves.”

Asked if she would re-enter the army if DADT was repealed, Isaacson said even with all that had gone that she, like many others who have been discharged have said,  would very seriously consider doing just that.

Seriously President Obama, with servicemen and women as passionate as this to serve their country with you treating them so badly, don’t you think it would be good manners to actually show them some respect and repeal your Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy… like now.

Photo: Sarah Isaascon