Awful news - Darren Manzella who fought DADT dies in car accident

[Ninja108]

http://www.towleroad.com/2013/08/manzella.html

Awful awful news. It simply isn't fair a man who fought so hard for all of us has died so young.

 

[rareboy]

It is a great shame, but at least he had the great good fortune to see his efforts come to successful fruition.

 

[gsdx]

His father learned of his son's death only online.

That bit bothered me, too.

So sad.

 

[pat grimshaw]

The link says—
Manzella's father said he learned of his son's death online and his calls to police have not been returned.

 

[Ninja108]

He was just married last month too. It just isn't far how someone like Darren dies so young while bigots like Perkins and Fischer get to live forever.

 

[whitedavo]

Doesn't seem accidental [tinfoil hat]

 

[braex27]

That's very sad news.

 

[medic1]

Just tragic , i have spoken to *out* Servicemen from the UK and USA , about the role "Gay" personnel perform and just as well as their straight brothers .
For a long time it was my main passion , after my man was killed in Afghanistan almost 4 years ago now . The response we got from "most" Servicemen and women was amazement and wonder .
One of the most asked questions was "Why if you are gay do you want to fight" , our answer we are human and we are just as patriotic and capable .

My thoughts to this brave man`s family and friends . Per Astra ad infinitum

 

[JayQueer]

I just heard the news about the recent passing of Sgt. Darren Manzella from a car accident. Condolences to his partner.

http://news.msn.com/obits/dont-ask-dont-tell-activist-dies-in-ny-wreck?stay=1

It's very sad & also a reminder about how fleeting life is -- just because we're here today is no guarantee we will be here tomorrow.


I met Sgt. Manzella a couple years ago at an event for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that fought against DADT. We chatted for about 10 minutes at the event - he seemed like a really nice guy. That was the first event I had been to, with so many gay people, and I felt like a fish out of water because everything felt so new to me (I'm still trying to figure things out). But Sgt. Manzella was one of the nicer people who I met at the event, especially when there were a ton of people trying to talk to him.

It's everyone's loss that he's no longer with us.

I don't need to post a photo from the newspaper of him, because I actually have one of my own. Sgt. Manzella's mother offered to take a picture of us, and I have uploaded it here.

 

[sixthson]

Thanks for sharing that, JQ.

 

[medic1]

Thanks JQ , see you are nice.........

 

[ronboy]

Sad, local story for me.....

 

[PreTTy PeTe]

it's not awful. Tragic maybe

but he was born to do what he was born to do.

a lot of people live long lives without ever doing anything for the good of anyone, but his life was well lived.

RIP my friend