Through my years I have witnessed what I would term an age of transgression in these United States.
Being born into a military officers family I often heard the phrase “Oh, you’re an officer’s son. Born with a silver spoon in your mouth.” But you must remember I was an officer’s son. So I had my own ‘duty to uphold’. With rank comes responsibility. I was an officer’s son. I simply responded with a slight smile.
I remember, as a child, if we ever saw a person walking on the road in a military uniform we stopped and gave them a ride. We seldom picked up anyone in civilian clothes. Perhaps I’m biased but I don’t think it had so much to do with the clothing as it did the actual person.
Anyone who’s been part of the military knows it changes you. When a soldier fights shoulder to shoulder with another person there is a bond created. Indeed the military becomes your family. Recruit Basic Training camps used to tell the recruits you don’t have a mother and a father any longer. The military has now taken over that job.
Being military usually means moving around a good amount. That means you get to meet more of your military family members.
There was a time my parents, as well as my older brother and sister, were traveling across country. It was some where around the late 1940s or early 1950s. They were in a Chevrolet towing a trailer. Wind caused the trailer to start fishtailing and then next thing you know they flipped. Their worldly possessions spread across the highway.
Even in that day and age, people were stopping, picking up items and driving off. Adding insult to injury a police officer wrote them a ticket for littering.
My father was going to be AWOL (Absent Without Leave) because now they were trapped (no money and no transportation). Dad called the base he was transferring to and told them what happened. The base had another officer who was in route as well. Evidently they were able to reach him. He changed his route to come pick up my father. He didn’t have enough room for the rest of the family. He had his own family with him.
Mom and Dad evidently didn’t have enough money to pay bus fare for the family. The other officer made father a loan. Remember, this man had never seen my family before in his life. That’s the point, they were already family.
And that’s why we always picked up hitchhikers in uniform, because they are family!
Thankfully the majority of the people in our world can relate to the word family, most of us grew up in one. Many of those families have LGBTQI members. Does that make them any less family?
This is why DADT pains me so much. In my eyes it’s not much different from ripping a baby out of the arms of loving parents.
If you had a gay child would you throw them out of your house? Because that’s exactly what your government is doing in your name!
The Senate Armed Forces Committee recently created a bill called the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (S. 3065).
Here is a website where you can see which Senators have signed on as co-sponsors. (click here)
If your Senator is not on that list you need to contact them and ask them the co-sponsor the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (s. 3065).
If you don’t know who your Senators are please visit www.Senate.gov where you can find out.
If you know who your Senators are call the United States Capitol switchboard and ask for you Senator by name (they will connect you to your Senators office). Please call now (202) 224-3121.
You know what to do. What must be done!
There are two roads in life; the righteous road and the easy road. Which one are you on?
Thank you for your time.
Tom Cunha
GayTalkRadio.org
QueerPublicRadio.com
GayTalkRadio.org a 24/7 LGBTQIA Licensed Independent Internet Radio Station.
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