Bio: I lied; I certainly did not want to be identified as Gay at that time. My four years in the Air Force were wonderful. I started in Texas, then went on to Vietnam (during the Tet Offensive), and then to Italy. It was such a rewarding experience, something I feel everyone should be able to enjoy. It taught me a lot about living and working with people. I traveled, and just generally enjoyed every phase of the experience. As a general rule I did not feel threatened at that time, of course one did not announce they were gay. A lot of my friends were also gay. We enjoyed each others companionship. It did not seem unusual at all for gays to be serving in the military.

I actually came out in Vietnam. Although I knew I was different, coming from a small town, I did not really know there were others. So Coming Out in Saigon was a lot of fun also, and really a load off my mind. It made me realize there was nothing wrong with me, and a lot of people to commiserate with at the same time. My supervisors, if they noticed, and I am sure they must have, treated me fairly. I cannot say I was discriminated against in any way.
EXCEPT THAT I HAD TO LIE TO GET INTO THE AIR FORCE.

Bio: I was openly gay in the military, stationed in Germany. I had a top secret NATO crypto clearance and was a cryptographer. Yes, I have an honorable discharge.

Bio: I spent one year at UW-Madison in the NROTC Scholarship Program. I had a strong attraction for my male peers but did not understand it. The following year, I was appointed to the USNA, West Point and the Coast Guard Academy. I took my first choice of USNA. My career goal since high school has been to command a nuclear powered submarine, and in July 1973, I was on my way when I entered the Class of 1977. I successfully completed my Plebe year and did a two-month summer training cruise on a surface ship.
   My major was Meteorology and Electrical Engineering. As a 3rd Classman (Sophomore), I was a squad leader for a dozen Plebes in the 31st Co. I was extremely attracted to one of my Plebes and I made several passes at him until he finally agreed to have a tryst during Spring Break when most of the Academy was gone. We had two encounters and it was then that I realized that I was indeed a homosexual.
   My Plebe claimed to be straight. He told his roommates about our tryst, and it did not take long for rumors to spread. Shortly thereafter, we were questioned by our CO. I broke down and admitted to the affair. I phoned my parents and told them about the trouble. They went ballistic and disowned me on the spot, claiming I had disgraced our family.
   The next day I was interrogated by the Naval Investigative Service for over eight hours without a break. It was tape-recorded and typed up, and I was forced to sign. I was accused of homosexual activity to include Sodomy. They said if I cooperated, I would not be court martialed. I was 22 and overwhelmed. I purchased sleeping pills and began to take them one afternoon when my roommate walked in, took the pills away from me, and reported it to our CO. I was admitted to Bethesda Naval Hospital for therapy. I was put in the female mental ward because they thought I would be harmed in the male ward. During my psychotherapy, I never admitted to being a homosexual because the investigation was pending.
   After ten weeks at Bethesda, a terrifying experience, I was returned to the Naval Academy. I went to a Midshipman Conduct Hearing where the Commandant told me why I could not be a naval officer. One of the reasons was that I could be blackmailed by the Soviets (Cold War) and forced to give up top secret information. Another reason was that I could never command the respect of the men under me. I told the Captain that if I were openly homosexual that I could not be blackmailed and that Navy discipline would take care of the respect issue. I was ordered to be discharged. At that time (1975), the Naval Academy did not want the media to get wind of homosexuals among the Brigade of Midshipman so they struck a deal. If I would voluntarily resign, I would be granted an Honorable Discharge and my records would be sealed. They said they did not want to jeopardize my future civilian career. At the same time, they did not want the media exposure of what had happened. I agreed to their terms and was discharged.
   I returned home reluctantly with nowhere else to go. I lived there for a confrontational year and got an Associate Degree in Television Broadcasting. After I graduated, my parents kicked me out and I stayed with an uncle before landing a great job in Chicago at CBS-owned WBBM-TV as a video tape technician. I was a vacation relief temp employee and was offered full-time if I could learn how to edit news video tape for air. I learned editing mostly by instinct and got the job. Within a year I was the top editor, and I was nominated for an Emmy Award for a series I did with Bill Kurtis (Discovery Channel) on Africa. I also edited a series with Gene Siskel (deceased) on the film "Saturday Night Fever".
   In 1979, I wanted to work in Hollywood so I applied to transfer. I got a job at Television City in Post Production Editing. Soon, CBS Network News got wind of my news editing experience and the News Division commandeered me to work in the LA Bureau. I was one of three news editors there and traveled extensively in the Western states covering breaking news, including the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power plant protest, Mt. Saint Helens eruption, Harvey's Casino bombing, and all of President Reagan's trips to his Santa Barbara ranch. I worked for CBS for 18 years until I had a nervous breakdown and have been disabled since then.
   I am now a gay rights activist and joined the LA chapter of AVER in 2004. I still dream what career I could have had commanding a Nuclear Submarine and am still resentful over how I was treated like a criminal because of my sexual orientation. It took my parents over five years to accept my life mate David. David died from AIDS in 2002 after we spent 25 years together. Today I am a widower on disability. The goal for my remaining years is to make it easier for the young gays to live without discrimination. I wish I could have been legally married to David. He died in pain in his bed at home because he was afraid I could not be there for him if hospitalized. This hurt me and gave me even more reason to work for gay rights.