Darren Manzella, an Openly Gay Sergeant Serving in the U.S. Army, to Appear on 60 Minutes

This week on 60 minutes: An interview with an openly gay member of the U.S. military. 60 Minutes will be conducting an interview with Darren Manzella, an openly gay sergeant serving in the U.S. Army. Manzella has served as a military medical provider in Iraq, where he earned a Combat Medical Badge and other commendations for providing care to U.S. military personnel, Iraqi National Guardsmen, and Iraqi civilians - all while under fire. A press release issued by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network described Manzella's appearance on the show as part of a wider campaign against the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

"It is perhaps only once in a lifetime that we are given the opportunity to do something of paramount importance, and I am honored to be able to use my voice to speak out on behalf of the countless lesbian and gay Americans currently serving in our armed forces," the press release quoted Manzella as saying about his upcoming appearance on 60 Minutes.

During the interview, Manzella describes the experience of coming out while serving in the military. He tells 60 Minutes that his officers and comrades in uniform have been overwhelming supportive of him, defying age old stereotypes about military intolerance for gays.

The 60 Minutes piece will also examine the work of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which provides assistance to openly gay members of the military. The group claims that the number of openly gay service members is on the rise. The SLDN is running a campaign aimed at ending the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which bars members of the military from being open about their homosexuality.

"Many commands, like Manzella's, recognize that their lesbian and gay troops are instrumental in the work of defending our county," said Aubrey Sarvis, the executive director of SLDN. "Those commanders, who want to do the right thing and retain good troops should not have their hands tied by this unfair law."

More than 12,000 soldiers, both men and women, have lost their jobs thanks to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, according to SDLN. The press release also sought to show the negative impact of the policy by citing statistics from the Government Accountability Office.

"According to the Government Accountability Office, nearly 800 of those dismissed had skills deemed 'mission-critical' by the Pentagon, including 322 foreign language experts, 56 of whom were proficient in Arabic," it said.

The 60 Minutes piece on Manzella and the SLDN will air on CBS on Sunday, December 14.