Don't Ask, Don't Tell ends, ctd

A gay soldier explains why he intends to remain in the closet:

I am in no rush to tell everyone around me about my sexuality. What bothered me about "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" was not the anonymity, but the constant fear. Finally, I can rest easy at home: I can slip into civilian clothes and go about my life as others do, without having to watch constantly over my shoulder. I suspect that many gays who are serving, are like me. We will continue to do our jobs, as we are asked, and may or may not come out. We don’t crave a big announcement, nor do we want to parade our private lives in public—soldiers, gay or straight, simply tend to be more reserved than that. Of course, as I prepare for a potential deployment, I am thankful that this time around I don’t have to fear opening up to those with whom I serve. I can be myself. I can serve my country. I can soldier on just as everyone else. Some I will tell, eventually. And then again, maybe not at all.

Another reflects on a victory long before Don't Ask, Don't Tell.