Pentagon: Choi Not Yet Back In The Army

News reports stating that discharged Lieutenant Dan Choi has re-enlisted in the military are premature, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

Choi, who was discharged in 2009 after publicly revealing his sexuality, successfully applied for re-enlistment in the Army Tuesday at a New York recruiting station.

However, according to Defense Department spokesperson Colonel David Lapan, it may be weeks before Choi officially reenters the U.S. military.

“Nobody joins any of the services in a few hours,” Lapan told reporters Wednesday morning, noting that the discharged lieutenant has not yet been sworn in. He added that headlines trumpeting Choi’s re-enlistment were “hyperbole.”

In conjunction with the Pentagon’s announcement last week that the military will abide by a federal judge’s order to suspend the enforcement of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, individual services were instructed to inform recruiters to accept applications from openly gay enlistees. Confusion among individual stations have subsequently been reported, an occurrence Lapan said was a pitfall of ending the Clinton era policy through the courts and not legislative means.

“This is what happens,” Lapan said. “There’s confusion.”