Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal

 Just as the formal repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy took effect, Navy Lt. Gary Ross and his partner were married before a small group of family and friends.

The two men, who'd been together 11 years, decided to marry in Vermont in part because the state is in the Eastern time zone.

That way, they were able to recite their vows at the stroke of midnight - at the first possible moment after the ban ended.

"I think it was a beautiful ceremony. The emotions really hit me...but it's finally official," Ross said early Tuesday.

Hours before the change, the American military was also making final preparations for the historic policy shift. The Pentagon announced that it was already accepting applications from openly gay candidates, although officials said they would wait a day before reviewing them.

Obama Hails DADT Repeal

President Barack Obama is marking the end of the ban on gays serving in the military. He says the armed forces will no longer lose the skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members.

At one minute past midnight EDT, a new law took effect repealing a 1993 law that allowed gays to serve only so long as they kept their sexual orientation private.

Obama says that as of today, "patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love." Obama also said that he wanted those who were discharged under the 1993 law to know that the U.S. deeply values their service.