“12,000 Flags for 12,000 Patriots” will go on display on the National Mall on Friday, Nov. 30, which is the 14th anniversary of DADT being signed into law. The tribute to the 12,000 servicemembers discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign in partnership with Servicemembers United, will continue through Sunday, Dec. 2.

Spokespersons from Human Rights Campaign say they are proud to partner with the Servicemembers United (formerly Call to Duty), Log Cabin Republicans, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Liberty Education Forum to mark the 14th anniversary of the signing of DADT, a law that prohibits honorable gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans from serving their country openly and honestly.

HRC also released a video on Nov. 7 making clear the costs of this discriminatory policy and its impact on national security. To view the video, visit youtube.com/watch?v=U923PfDFE18. When Bush speaks of the great honor of American soldiers fighting for freedom and making America proud, the telling phrase, “Well, almost all of you,” comes across his face in bold letters.

Twelve thousand flags will be placed on the Mall for every discharged service member. These flags, organizers say, will stand as a testament to the waste to our military, our security, and our country caused by this discriminatory law. In addition to recognizing the 12,000 servicemembers discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the event will also serve as a reminder of the hundreds of thousands unrecognized GLBT Americans who paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives throughout our country’s history to defend freedom.

HRC sponsored a conference call announcing the event. The call included Antonio Agnone, Public Policy Associate, Human Rights Campaign and a former officer in the Marine Corps, who served a tour of duty in Iraq earlier this year where he was responsible for identifying and dismantling IEDs; Alex Nicholson, spokesperson for Servicemembers United and a former linguist in the US Army. Nicholson is fluent in Arabic, in addition to six other languages. He was discharged from the military under the DADT policy prior to September 11, 2001. It should be noted that the 9/11 Commission Report cited the lack of Arabic linguists able to translate critical pieces of intelligence from terrorist organizations as a contributing factor to our nation’s vulnerability to attack.

Also participating in the conference was Eric Alva, a former Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps and the first U.S. servicemember wounded in the Iraq War, where he stepped on a landmine and lost his right leg three hours into the war. Patrick Sammon, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans and Sharra Greer, Director of Law and Policy, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network also participated.