Memories on the 4th
I love fireworks. For some reason they always make me smile. For me, they are one of the joys of the Fourth of July celebrations. I get to see them live, on T.V. and from all over the country. I have seen fireworks in many places around the world and for many reasons, but nothing compares to the firework displays on the 4th. This year I get to see the fireworks in our nation’s Capitol which I hear are spectacular, so I am very excited!
This will be my second 4th of July celebration since leaving the Army, and I have been thinking back on the eight or so Independence Days I celebrated while serving. I remember families with blankets on the fields, kids running around, many a Bar-B-Que going on, and the music. Everyone was in high sprits, laughing and joking and just having a great time. Every year there would be invites to back yard parties, company parties, platoon parties, and various others. These were usually fun events where people would bring boyfriends, girlfriends, wives, husbands and children.
In some ways those memories make me sad because for all of the good times, I never got the chance to celebrate the 4th with someone special – because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” doing so could have cost me my career. This year, however, I will celebrate the 4th with someone I care about, which is something I couldn’t quite do while in the service, at least not in the same way those families on their blankets could. Being gay in the military was tough, and sometimes it just took the joy out of celebrations. I know what it is like to have to hide yourself and still try to enjoy the good parts of life. My heart goes out to those service members still serving both openly and in silence, and those who have served in the past. Remember, the fight goes on, and we will win.
-Former Army Sergeant Daniel Pond
SLDN Legal Intern
07-03-08
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