user: Input: Officer X: Behind the Mask
1st LT Karl Johnson, USAF (Photograph by Eric Ogden for TIME)

What a fascinating time to be a gay man in the U.S. military. This time last year, I was sure the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” (DADT) policy was here to stay for the next 2 to 3 years.

These initial words from my first post on Battleland are as true today as they were when I first Photoshopped a hastily-taken picture from my iPad, and created an iconic silhouette. As of today, Officer X is no more. With a Velcro riiiip I can now remove that name tape from the chest of my proverbial blogger flight suit and replace it with one that says “Karl Johnson”.

A 25 year old -- who flies U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo jets and has a degree in mechanical engineering from Syracuse University -- may seem like an unlikely candidate to blog for TIME, or wear the hat of an activist. At first the idea of writing for Battleland was nothing short of intimidating, but the decision of whether or not to accept was easy: the opportunity to give a voice to those of us who have been voiceless for years, as a matter of federal law, was too good to pass up.

Being the mind behind the OX silhouette has been an eye-opening experience. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading every comment, every email, every tweet, and trying my best to keep up with the responses. My only regret in this whole process is that I didn't start sooner.

At the moment this blog goes live I will be walking out my front door to start my first day at the squadron out of the closet. Around that same time the article I wrote in this week's print edition of TIME magazine will hit the stands. I don't know how long it will take for this tale to get back to me, or how I will react when finally confronted. That uncertainty doesn't scare me any more. It's time to man up and do as I had promised myself in May when I started blogging: lead from the front. Yup, it's still a fascinating time to be a gay man in the U.S. military.
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It's about: By Karl Johnson What a fascinating time to be a gay man in the U.S. military. This time last year, I was sure the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” (DADT) policy was here to stay for the next 2 to 3 years.


Input: Texas Walmart opening restaurant that will serve only State Fair foods
The bizarre, greasy, and often double-deep-fried foods of the State Fair of Texas are iconic and often imitated-- but sadly, they only come around once a year.

Well, not anymore. Isaac Rousso — two-time winner of the Big Tex Choice Award for Most Creative — is opening State Fair Treats, a restaurant dedicated to serving the finest State Fair fare, inside his local Walmart in Plano, Texas, later this month.

The menu will feature 45 delectable snacks and treats that have been spotted at various state fairs around the country including Rousso’s own award-winning cookie fries, smoky bacon margarita, fried Pop-Tarts, and deep-fried Cuban rolls.

"At the end of the day it's incredible that you have someone like Wal-mart believing in a small entrepreneurial guy and seeing the potential of what we can bring," Rousso told The Dallas Morning News. "The State Fair of Texas for me has been the greatest blessing that's ever come to my family. And the opportunities that were coming to us because of the State Fair, words can't describe it."

Rousso and his family have been staples at the State Fair of Texas every year, and Walmart approached him with the idea of opening up a restaurant.

If all goes well, Rousso plans to take his state fair restaurant on the road and expand across the country.

“Walmart was looking for a creative new food concept to energize high profile locations,”Rousso told local news station WFAA. “During the State Fair of Texas, we have the opportunity to serve more than 2 million people during the fair’s 24-day run. At our first Walmart location alone, we’ll have the chance to see 1.5 to 2 million people per year.”

Other dishes include cookie fries, funnel cake fries, corn dogs, deep-fried hash browns stuffed with bacon and cheddar cheese and some brand new creations.

The State Fair of Texas runs this year from Sept. 30 to Oct. 23. But Ruosso's new joint will be open all year long. Though Walmart could not be reached for comment, the budding restaurateur hopes to take his eatery concept to store locations around the country.

10 State Fair Foods That’ll Give You a Heart Attack From 10 Feet Away
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It's about: State Fair Treats will be opening at the Walmart in Plano, Texas, serving deep-fried goodies all year round.


Input: Yankees Pitcher CC Sabathia Enters Rehab for Alcohol
(NEW YORK) — Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is checking into an alcohol rehabilitation center and will miss the postseason.

The team issued a statement from the pitcher Monday, a day before New York plays Houston in the AL wild-card game. Sabathia, the 2007 AL Young Award winner, said he took the step to receive the care he needs and become the kind of person “I can be proud of.”

“I love baseball and I love my teammates like brothers, and I am also fully aware that I am leaving at a time when we should all be coming together for one last push toward the World Series,” he said. “It hurts me deeply to do this now, but I owe it to myself and to my family to get myself right. I want to take control of my disease, and I want to be a better man, father and player.”

Sabathia was 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA this year, slowed by his surgically repaired right knee. After returning from the disabled list and using a tighter brace, the portly 35-year-old left-hander was 2-1 with a 2.17 ERA in five starts and got the win against Boston that week that clinched the Yankees’ return to the postseason following a rare two-year absence,

“As difficult as this decision is to share publicly, I don’t want to run and hide,” Sabathia said. “Being an adult means being accountable. Being a baseball player means that others look up to you. I want my kids — and others who may have become fans of mine over the years — to know that I am not too big of a man to ask for help. I want to hold my head up high, have a full heart and be the type of person again that I can be proud of. And that’s exactly what I am going to do.”

His move is another blow to the Yankees’ pitching staff, slowed in September by Masahiro Tanaka’s hamstring injury and ineffective outings by Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova.

Sabathia, who helped New York win the 2009 World Series during his first season in the Bronx, is signed through next season. His deal includes a 2017 club option that would become guaranteed if his left shoulder doesn’t get hurt.

“I am looking forward to being out on the field with my team next season playing the game that brings me so much happiness,” Sabathia said.
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It's about:

assistant: Sabathia will miss the Yankees' playoffs