U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Victor
Fehrenbach told MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts on Friday that he did not
believe “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” would end.
Congress repealed last December the
1993 law that bans gay and bisexual troops from serving openly,
paving the way for the policy's end on Tuesday.
(Related: Republicans
Buck McKeon, Joe Wilson seek delay in DADT repeal.)
The military has discharged more than
13,000 service members for violating the policy.
The Air Force moved to dismiss
Fehrenbach in 2008 after a civilian man accused him of sexual
assault. Within three weeks, Fehrenbach was cleared of the sexual
assault allegation, but the military continued to investigate whether
to discharge the highly-decorated flight officer. He retired from the
Air Force two weeks ago.
During an appearance on MSNBC to
discuss the September 20 HBO premiere of the documentary The
Strange History of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' Fehrenbach, who is
featured in the film, said next Tuesday means the most to him
“because I know finally it's over for everyone.”
“I never imagined when this ordeal
began for me personally three years ago that I would ever see this
day. I couldn't be happier. And I especially couldn't be happier
for the service members that will continue to serve,” he added.
(The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)