Happy Veteran's Day

On this day we take a moment to honor the veterans of all our wars. In the US today there are many who have served and many who are serving in our armed forces despite the ban on openly Gay service members. As a veteran who has been discharged because of the ban, I empathize with all service members and veterans who have come up against this ridiculous, antiquated, and obsolete law. The current version, Don't Ask , Don't Tell is no better than the old outright ban. It deprives our country of intelligent, well qualified and highly trained individuals who are ready, willing and able to serve to the best of their abilities despite the best efforts of the current administration to devalue their service and abilities. The Service Members Legal Defense Network has been on the forefront of the fight to repeal this awful law. The SLDN website this week has featured a blog posting each day by a Gay veteran. I have posted the links to each entry below. As we honor our veterans today, let us not forget the estimated one million GLBT veterans that have served and suffered due to unnecessary discrimination because of their sexual orientation. I am proud to be counted in that number and I do not regret my service. I do take offense at being marginalized and ostracized by the government for the simple reason of being Gay. The members of our community who choose to serve in the armed services are to be highly commended for their bravery under fire whether it be bullets, bombs, or the government in the "holy" quest to "purify" America. To the Gay veterans I say congratulations for a job well done, may we never forget your sacrifices. Let us all join together to work for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell so future service members and veterans may serve with honor and distinction without fear of reprisal for their sexual orientation. On a lighter note, the eye candy section today has a very military flavor. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Former Marine Sergeant Brian Fricke

Former Army Major Jeff McGowan

Former Army First Lieutenant Steve Boeckels

Former Air Force Staff Sergeant David Hall

Former Navy Petty Officer Jason Knight

Former Navy Petty Officer Stephen Benjamin

Denver Post OpEd by Stephen Benjamin

Remember Our Gay Vets by Lisa Neff