“The first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress and architect of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal law was nominated by the Obama administration Wednesday to become the next undersecretary of the Army,” Stars and Stripes reports.  

“Patrick Murphy, a Pennsylvania attorney and former paratrooper, championed national security as well as gay and transgender rights during his time as a House Democrat from 2007-11 and as a senior fellow at a progressive Washington think tank. If confirmed, he would replace acting undersecretary Eric Fanning, who was appointed as the first openly gay Pentagon chief of staff in February and has been mentioned as possible candidate for the Army’s top civilian post.”  

“Murphy began pushing in 2009 for the repeal of DADT, which barred gay troops from serving openly and led to the discharge of more than 13,000 during a 17-year period. Congress passed a repeal a year later, and President Barack Obama lifted the ban in 2011.”