Life after Iraq: Brian Hughes helped rescue Jessica Lynch from her Iraqi captors--then he rescued himself from the military's antigay policy.

Tired of listening to his fellow servicemen in Iraq brag about their sexual exploits while he was forced to keep quiet about his own life, Army ranger Brian Hughes left the service with an honorable discharge in August and came out to everyone. Now, 26-year-old Hughes is finally able to talk about the emotional toll the military's antigay "don't ask, don't tell" politically can take on U.S. servicemen and women. "It hurt," he said. "I was lying to [the members of my unit]. I eventually withdrew and became quite antisocial."

Hughes, a sergeant whose Ranger unit helped in the famous rescue of U.S. war prisoner Jessica Lynch in 2003, traveled to Washington, D.C., in September to urge members of Congress to end the 11-year-old policy and has appeared on national television and in newspapers to denounce it.

Hughes, who avoids discussion of his personal life, spoke to The Advocate about his life in the service and his sadness over leaving.

When you were discharged, what did it mean to you, knowing you would no longer have to hide aspects of your life?

It was a very bittersweet experience. I was sad to be leaving the service and to be leaving my boys to fight without me. But it certainly felt very good to be free.

When you joined the Army in 2000 were you aware of your sexuality?

I realized I was gay in 1996. So I'd been out for three or four years by the time I joined up. I knew what I was getting into. I knew that [gay] people were getting kicked out all the time; I knew of the murder of Barry Winchell just the year before. And that was something my family and friends reminded me of quite often as I was going through the process of signing up. So I adopted a policy of being completely in the closet, and I was successful at that.

Why did you join?

I needed the mental and physical discipline I thought I would get there, and I was pleased to find that I did. And I have strong feelings about the importance of public service.

Were you worried that joining the elite Army Rangers would require some investigation into your background?

It did require a secret clearance. But I wasn't concerned about that at all. First off, anything they may have found out about me before I joined up is irrelevant to the military. That's all part of the past. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy only covers your actions while you're in.

What was life like for you in the Army?

I was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, which is right outside Savannah, Ga. I was in the Headquarters Company, which managed the training path for the battalion. I reported directly to the colonel and the sergeant-major, and I was in charge of the training paths for 600 guys. My social life was centered around the guys I lived with and worked with day in and day out. And it was great. We had a blast.

What did the rescue of Jessica Lynch mean to you?

Obviously, it's a great thing that I was lucky enough to take part in, and I'm very proud of it. I'm very glad that we were able to bring her back alive. We all received awards for it. But as far as what it meant, it was another mission. And after that mission, you pick up and go on to the next one.

What was your role?

I was a member of the special operations task force that restored Jessica Lynch. My team was detailed to recover the Americans from the site.

Before you joined the Army you studied at Yale. Now you're back?

Yes. My major is in mathematics and philosophy. [Before the Army] I was studying for my bachelor's degree [at Yale]. I'll be finished with it in December.

What do you plan to do after graduation?

I'd like to teach high school. But I don't know where, specifically, as long as I'm in the [San Francisco] Bay area, where my family lives.