"IF YOU ARE GAY WE DON'T TAKE YOU. YOU ARE CONSIDERED UNQUALIFIED,” U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Marcia Ramode emailed gay job seeker Corey Andrew – and this was only the beginning of her bigoted tirade. When the New Jersey resident recently posted his profile on a popular career-based web site, he heard from several potential recruiters, including the U.S. Army. However, Andrew had no interest in joining the Army for a number of reasons, including the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian citizens from putting on the uniform. But that didn't stop him asking the recruiter whether he was able to serve in the Army as a gay man. The question sparked a bizarre three-day exchange, escalating into a bigoted tirade from the recruiter and an official military investigation. One email from Ramode, using a military email address, told Andrew "being gay is disgusting and immoral," reports the Jersey Journal. In another email, Ramode wrote, "You must be a total idiot and so stupid to presume that you do not know what gender you are." She added that Andrew should be more grateful to the military for defending his freedoms, but that as a gay man "he should leave the United States." Ramode didn't limit her email attacks to insults about Andrew's sexual preferences. The insults were not only flying one way, as Andrew criticized her vocabulary and poor spelling and, after finding out she was a Native American, wrote: "So take that to your next rain dance." Andrew, who is black, criticized Ramode's word choices and poor spelling. In response, the apparently enraged sergeant said in graphic language that Andrew should "GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF NAKED THERE." The U.S. Army Recruiting Command's Staff Judge Advocate has referred the email exchange to Ramode's commander for "review, investigation and appropriate action," Sgt. Douglas Smith, a public affairs officer based Fort Knox, Texas, said in a statement. Under the Department of Defense's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, recruiters do not ask applicants any questions about their sexual orientation. "If an applicant makes a statement that he or she is homosexual, the recruiter must inform the applicant in a professional manner that they are not eligible for enlistment," the statement said. Andrew says he thinks the Army contacted him because the Iraq war has made it harder to recruit. Steve Ralls, a director of communications for the Service Members Legal Defense Network, which helps victims of discrimination under the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, says Ramode should be fired. "The recruiter's remarks were outrageous and offensive in almost every way," Ralls said. "Anti-gay harassment throughout the military is well documented but this is particularly egregious because the recruiter's language is so homophobic and racist." Ralls is relieved the Army appears to be taking the email exchange seriously. "The command expects its recruiters to conduct themselves in a professional manner in all dealings with potential applicants and members of the public," said Smith of the Army. "We are ambassadors for America's Army." Ramode did not return phone calls seeking comment. Some of the email exchange is available to read on the link below. Ref: Jersey Journal (m)