Honor Every Veteran
As Jason mentioned in his post yesterday, Mark Twain wrote in one of his journals that, "In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."
Gays and lesbians who serve under the Ban are those patriots. The personal cost can be enormous. Partners and lovers cease to exist, lovers become friends, and genders change in an instant. And to the extreme, fifteen years ago, being a patriot cost PO3 Allen Schindler his life.
Yet despite it all and even while condemned to the shadows: We still serve. As the great Dr. Martin Luther King believed, we also believe. We believe that the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice and that one day, our service will be fully honored. Because, in the end, it comes down to one thing, as former Army officer and current SLDN Board Member Jeff Cleghorn has reminded me of many times: Gay blood bleeds as red as straight.
That is why it is important to honor EVERY veteran.
-Former Navy Petty Officer Stephen Benjamin
You may have missed:
Monday - Former Marine Sergeant Brian Fricke
Tuesday - Prior US Army Major Jeff McGowan
Wednesday - Former Army First Lieutenant Steve Boeckels
Thursday - Former Air Force Staff Sergeant David Hall
Friday - Former Navy Petty Officer Jason KnightLabels: honor every veteran, stephen benjamin
-----11-10-07
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