Ever since he was 10 years old, AJ Needler has known that he has wanted to serve in the military. In March 2011 he received one of the 10 available four-year ROTC scholarships available at USC and began his military training as a cadet. But what truly sets him apart from the crowd is that he is the only ROTC member at USC who is openly gay.
“I’ve always wanted to be a part of something greater than myself and bigger than myself,” Needler said. With the influence of his aunt, who is a retired Marine, and his Junior ROTC mentor from high school, he realized that the military was his passion.
“I knew what I was doing when I signed the dotted line under the 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' policy,” Needler said. “When 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' was repealed, it was awesome. It was probably one of the greatest feelings ever. I didn’t have to hide one of the biggest portions of my life, and I slowly came out.”
Although he was nervous at first, Needler said that his family, friends, peers and commanding officers were very accepting.
“There were times it was definitely difficult to come out because of fear. And it wasn’t fear that was ever, as I look back at it, validated,” he said.
Needler brings same sex dates to military functions and their dining out events. He says that the fact that he and his significant other are of the same sex doesn’t matter to his friends and that they are always excited and supportive of him.
In particular, Needler’s commanding officers have been very supportive.
“They support me because that’s what they’re supposed to do. Their focus is making me comfortable just like any other soldier,” he said.
The world’s mindset has changed. Needler attributes this to those who came before him and fought for equality. He says that though he can serve in the military without fear, the fight has not yet ended.
“You battle for acceptance. You battle every day for those things. And you do that by doing your job. You do that by being the person that you are.”
Through the ROTC program, Needler has learned how to be a leader while training to serve his country. In particular, he enjoys the mentoring program, and the sense of camaraderie that he feels with his classmates. They have the same passion for the military and go through the same training, the same struggles and the same successes.
“I am no different than the soldier next to me ... You share experiences. You get to grow life long friendships,” Needler said. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything different.”