U.S NAVY VETERAN, 22 MONTHS OF SERVICE   DAWN, ON CROSSDRESSING IN THE NAVY:   Fresh out of high school I served 20 months active duty on the U.S.S. McDonnell. At the time, it was the height of the Vietnam War and the draft was on, so my options were to either enlist or go…

NAVY VETERAN, 20 YEARS OF SERVICE DEBORAH ON BEING THE TARGET OF A WITCH HUNT INVESTIGATION:   I signed up for the U.S. Navy in 1986. By January 1987 I went to bootcamp. In just about the final week of bootcamp myself and a few other women were pulled aside and questioned for being lesbians….

NAVY VETERAN,  2 YEARS OF SERVICE   PAULA, ON NAVAL INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES INFILTRATING GAY BARS IN THE 70′s, IN AN ERA WHEN ONE COULD BE DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED JUST FOR BEING IN A GAY ESTABLISHMENT:   I enlisted in 1972 and served during the Vietnam War Era. I was the first woman in the Navy to…

U.S. ARMY,  NAVY VETERAN, 10 YEARS OF SERVICE   DENNY ON HIS DECISION TO JOIN THE SERVICE NOT BECAUSE HE IS GAY BUT DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE’S GAY:   My mother, like any mother, read bedtime stories.  First, Grimm’s Fairy Tales in German… and I’ll tell you, this produces nightmares: children following ginger bread trails through…