WASHINGTON, June 15 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta thanked gay, lesbian and bisexual service members as part of the Pentagon's first-ever celebration of gay rights month.
"The successful repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' proved to the nation that, just like the country we defend, we share different backgrounds, different values and different beliefs," Panetta said in a video posted Friday on the Defense Department's Web site. "But together we form the greatest military force in the world."