NPR

Falling In Love During The Era Of Don't Ask Don't Tell

At StoryCorps, Mike Rudulph and Neil Rafferty remember falling in love, joining the Marine Corps and being deployed overseas.
Mike Rudulph (left) and Neil Rafferty.

Mike Rudulph was 20 years old when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He served during the era of Don't Ask Don't Tell, deploying to Iraq in 2003. Soon after he returned home from his first deployment, he logged onto the internet and met Neil Rafferty.

"By the end of the week, we were saying 'I love you' over the phone," Rudulph, 40, said to

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