Could the military's ban on openly gay service members be ending soon?

The Associated Press reported more than 100 retired generals and admirals issued a statement calling on President-elect Barack Obama to overturn the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Obama has supported interest in repealing the rule but said he won't do so without building consensus with military leaders.

The military has discharged about 12,340 people between 1994 and 2007, the AP reports, including 627 last year. And the issue is of particular interest out here because a McChord Air Force Base nurse is in the midst of a legal battle with the Air Force over her dismissal.

Maj. Margaret Witt was suspended without pay in 2004 after the Air Force received a tip she had been in a long-term relationship with a woman. She was honorably discharged in October 2007 after 18 years with the service.

She sued the Air Force. A district judge threw out the case, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May that the military can't automatically discharge people because they're gay.

What do you think? Is it time to rethink the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy? Do you expect much to change under an Obama administration? If you're a service member or a veteran, would you have a problem with an openly gay colleague?

The Washington National Guard's 81st Brigade is in Iraq, and several units have already begun their missions, the brigade spokesman said.

Most units are tasked with providing security for supply convoys. Others are running day-to-day operations at the bases.

The brigade of 3,200 soldiers – 2,400 of whom are from Washington – left home in August for its second deployment in Iraq. It trained for eight weeks at Fort McCoy, Wis., and deployed to Kuwait, where it received several more weeks of training in operating vehicles and weapons systems.

The soldiers began arriving in Iraq last month. The brigade was split into smaller units – often by battalion, but sometimes by company – and spread throughout the country. Here’s where they’ll be serving:

● Ramadi
● Mosul
● Balad
● Tikrit
● Qayyarah West Airfield
● Baghdad
● Al Asad Air Base
● Al Taqaddum

Check back with us tomorrow morning. I’ll be talking with brigade commander Col. Ronald Kapral and will post something as soon as I’m done.