This e-single collects reporting from The New York Times archive on "don't ask, don't tell," the policy that allowed gays to serve in the military as long as they kept their sexual orientation secret. More than 13,000 service members were discharged in the years after the policy was mandated by Congress in 1993. The policy came to an official end at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 20, 2011.