Darren Manzella, the gay combat medic discharged from the Army after criticizing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” was killed in a traffic accident upstate New York this week.
Authorities said Manzella, who married his partner in July, was driving on I-490 in suburban Rochester around 8:30 p.m. Thursday when he sideswiped another vehicle. He got of his car and was pushing it to the side of the road when an SUV struck him, pinning him between both vehicles.
Thirty-six year old Manzella was pronounced dead at the scene.
While he was in the combat zone in Iraq in December 2007, Manzella, who lived in Portland, New York, appeared on “60 Minutes” where he stated that he was gay. He was discharged in June 2008 for “homosexual admission”, a violation of the since-rescinded policy prohibiting service members from openly acknowledging they are gay.
Before he was discharged, Manzella gave several interviews in which he said “This is who I am. This is my life. It has never affected my job performance before. I don’t think it will make a difference now. And to be honest since then, I don’t see a difference because of my homosexuality.”
