After facing a discharge under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, 26-year-old Petty Officer 2nd Class Derek Morado will be spared the humiliation: A three-member panel (two officers and a another enlisted sailor) at Leemore Naval Air Station in California voted unanimously yesterday not to pursue a discharge, meaning he can serve out the rest of his three year contract. Morado was outed by a fellow sailor in 2009 who spotted a photo of him kissing another man that he uploaded to MySpace; this month he was first notified a discharge was in process. At the hearing, Morado’s attorney called four witnesses to testify about his upstanding character. Prosecutors called zero witnesses. The Military Personnel Command must still approve the panel’s decision, but Morado is hopeful: “It’s much harder to keep me out than it is to keep me. Obviously, I will have to continue to meet the Navy’s standards from here on out. As long as I can do that, I can continue to have a very good career.” Can we just “certify” this repeal already and end this nonsense?
