Out, and In Uniform

IF YOU'RE OUT OF THE CLOSET, YOU'RE OUT OF THE service. For 50 years, that has been the firm rule of the U.S. military. But the day after Veterans Day, following a bitter court battle, Petty Officer Keith Meinhold managed to regain his Navy job at Moffett Field Naval Air Station in Mountain View, California. The 12-year veteran had been discharged in August after announcing he was gay on national TV. When U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. ordered the Navy to take Meinhold back the first time, the Navy balked. But after Hatter reaffirmed his order, Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean O'Keefe decided to comply. Meinhold's reinstatement is temporary, pending the outcome of a trial on his challenge to the Pentagon's ban on gays. Meanwhile, in his press conference Thursday, President-elect Clinton reiterated his pledge to end the military's ban, although he first plans to "consult with a lot of people."