Out of the Closet and Into a Uniform; New York Times, 11/16/12

Rachel L. Swarns, New York Times; Out of the Closet and Into a Uniform: "Colonel Gary A. Packard Jr., who directs the Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership at the Air Force Academy and co-wrote a recent report on the effect of the repeal on the armed services, said that the transition has gone remarkably well at the military academies. “Are there still pockets of resistance? Absolutely,” said Colonel Packard, who said that some older staff members and retirees would prefer to see openly gay students barred from the academies. “But we hear more stories about the positive,” he said. “Cadets have a more open dialogue with each other because it’s now safe to have the conversation. You don’t see a great big coming-out-of-the-closet party. But what you do see is the ability to have a conversation that you couldn’t have before. That’s an important step.”"