Summary: In a landmark for gay rights, the U.S. Senate voted 65-31 to let homosexuals serve openly in the military, giving President Barack Obama the chance to fulfill a campaign promise and repeal the 17-year policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on December 18, 2009, Aubrey Immelman reported that Iranian troops crossed into Iraq and seized an oil well in a disputed area along the two countries’ southern border. Iraqi security forces were in the area, but there were no reports of any fighting or shots fired and Iranian forces later withdrew from the disputed site.