Officer X Reveals Himself

With the official repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" going into effect earlier this week, countless stories are emerging of military personnel coming out from under the shadow of secrecy. Such is the case of 1st Lt. Karl Johnson of the Air Force, who began contributing to Time's blog Battleland under the pen name Officer X this year in an effort to convey his experience as a gay man in the U.S. military. At the time Johnson was certain the official repeal of DADT would not become reality for several more years. When approached with the idea of contributing to Battleland Johnson said it was "nothing short of intimidating, but the decision of whether or not to accept was easy: the opportunity to give a voice to those of us who have been voiceless for years, as a matter of federal law, was too good to pass up."

Now, Johnson wrote, he can work "at the squadron out of the closet." Although Johnson is still unsure how all this will play out for him, he says the uncertainty "doesn't scare me anymore." And even though this week may very well mark the end of his pen-name identity, Johnson takes solace in the fact that "it's a fascinating time to be a gay man in the U.S. military."