Day 14
Today is my 14th day in Tucson,AZ and things are going well. I really like it here to my surpriseand I think everything will be OK. This is pride month and me and the bear are going to a pride pool party tomorrow. I'm excited. Its not a bear function, but I think is will be a good thing to meet people cause we have yet to meet anyone.
Gays in the military!!
Today is the anniversaryof my discharge from the army!
June 18,1998 is when I drove off the base of the 101st Airborne, Ft Campbell, Ky.
Thinking about my military career if have mix feeling about the time I sent in the army. I came out march 1995 which was ok for me. I was at Ft. Bliss,TX and I had a pretty good time.. If was like being reborn and my eyes were wide open. Then I came to conclusion that I had to hide my sexuality. I didn't have too to hard cause I had a few gay army friends and it made it pretty easy plus I worked at a military school and we only had 5 people in the barracks so it was ok..
10 months after I came out I was pushed back into the closet which was a very hard to do. I was sent to Korea. I was in 2nd ID which is one of the major battalionsin Korea. I worked in the 1st ofthe 72nd tank battalions. 1st Tank is what we called it. OMG this was terror. We had nothing but males in our battalion. So it was much harder to hide my homosexuality. When you are around nothing but male soldiers they are bound to notice certain traits and they started putting 2 and 2 together. It was so hard for me. The only savior was that i could fight. So anytime someone would bring up the gay thing I had to kick their ass. LOL which gave me a pass at least for a month or so until someone would bring it up again.. There were plenty of gays on my post but I could not be seen by others walking with queens, they were know to be gay and so would make sure not to been seen with them.
Finally I was transferred to Fort Campbell, Ky. To 101st Airborne, 801st MSB (main support battalion). By this time I was like fuck! I went to bars and hung out with known gay soldiers. They were trying to hide but for me I was not to concerned. I mean I was not walking around with a gay flag as my uniform but I was not worry. By this time I only had 10 months left in the army. They sent me to air assult school which I really liked. I had already went to air bourne school when I first joined the army in 1991.
Then came June 18, 1998 and it was time to say HOLLA and I was so glad to leave. I had decided in Korea that I was not fit to be in the military and I was ready to be gay out in the open. I am never gonna hide my sexuality EVER.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all of my service men and women who are being harrassed everyday. Its better now adays then it was for me, but there is still a lot of pressure trying to go to work everyday and having other soldiers harassing you. I have been there and you can make it. I am proof that you can.. Hang in there!