Ousted as Gay, Aging Veterans Are Battling Again for Honorable Discharges

[Omaha Steve]

Donald Hallman at his home in Columbus, Ohio, last month. He was given an undesirable discharge from the Army as a "Class II Homosexual" in 1955. Credit Andrew Spear for The New York Times


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/us/gay-veterans-push-for-honorable-discharges-they-were-denied.html?emc=edit_th_20150907&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=58529908&_r=1

By DAVE PHILIPPSSEPT. 6, 2015

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When the Army discharged Pvt. Donald Hallman in 1955 for being what it called a “Class II homosexual,” the 21-year-old was so scared of being an outcast that he burned all his military records, save for a single dog tag he hid away.

Mr. Hallman, a coal miner’s son who sang in a church choir in rural Alabama, says he never mentioned his military service again. He married a woman he had met at work, had children and wore a suit and tie to work each day.

“I hid it because it would have ruined my life,” Mr. Hallman said in an interview at his home here.

But this summer, Mr. Hallman, now 82, retrieved the dog tag from a keepsake box and began working through an application to the Department of Defense, asking that his decades-old discharge be upgraded from “undesirable” to “honorable.”

FULL story at link.

[roamer65]

1. I see this just as important as amnesty given to Vietnam draft dodgers.

It needs to happen NOW.

Do it by EO, Mr President.

[Recursion]

2. I enlisted in '97. I can think of 4 Marines from my Company who were gay

One got kicked out. I bring this up because that was what was so ****ing unfair about the whole thing. Everybody knew that X, Y, and Z were gay. Nobody really cared (maybe some of the holy rollers, but the Corps usually finds a way to shuffle them away from serious units). The problem was, that A, B, and C are straight, while X, Y, and Z are gay, and B and Y commit the same offense that pisses off the command. B gets a reduction in rank and some sort of community service; Y gets an other-than-honorable discharge under DADT.

I was not a member of the military when there was an active witch-hunt against gay servicemembers. I was a member when universally-acknowledged homosexuality was used as a transparent excuse to get rid of people. I'm not sure that's better.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. This should have been instantly retroactive to all who were discharged for existing.

The fact that it has not been done, that each person must seek out justice demonstrates the fact that this equality has been won from begrudging institutions that are still basically bigoted.

[Hydra]

4. Yes, the change was fought for a long time

And it will be work from bare tolerance to true acceptance. At least the public tide of support is for that now.

[DirkGently]

5. Can we not do this for all vets so discharged immediately?

Act of Congress? Executive Order?

Whatever is needed, any service member discharged less than honorably for being gay deserves our nation's apology and the honorable discharge they earned.

[hifiguy]

6. This is an issue the president should push

during his last year-plu in office.

Lean on the brass, Mr. Obama. There is justice waiting to be done for these men.