Reigniting a Fire
Fall has once again returned with its spray of leaves, brisk mornings, football weekends, and back-to-school sales that represent a time of fresh opportunities. SLDN's march to the White House this summer reignited a fire in me to hold our nation's leaders accountable. The upcoming National Equality March is an opportunity for me as a gay American, and specifically, a gay American veteran, to tell our leaders that we expect swift legislative action on repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
As a kid, I was taught the importance of community and the value of hard work, dedication, and especially selfless service to our country. I remember sitting on my dad's shoulders, waving a flag, lining the road for the return of the local Army Reserve unit from Desert Storm. The entire community hung the back page of the Sunday newspaper in their windows, a flag that faded through the months, but brought us together in pride. That kind of pride was my inspiration for enlisting in the Army as an Arabic linguist. The camaraderie and trust I found in the ranks with my fellow soldiers gave me something for which to stand. When DADT stripped away my freedom to serve and my Army family, I fortunately found a new strength and family in the SLDN community.
The National Equality March is a time to find common ground and stand up as one in the push toward equality. I can't wait to arrive in DC Oct. 10, and join other LGBT allies to recognize the contributions of ALL service members to our armed forces and the equal rights of ALL Americans under the law.
09-29-09 By Bleu Copas, former U.S. Army Sergeant |
1 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.Tiffiny Reed in Pensacola, FL on September 29, 2009 at 04.26 pm
As a linguist myself and from a military family, I understand the pain of seperation from the military. I was just seperated 2 weeks ago as a Farsi, Dari, Pashtu linguist. My desire has always been to serve my country. All I can say is no matter what the view of people is, gays will continue to serve side by side as they always have. I can only hope for my fellow veterans that one day we can all serve openly and free the same as the rights we gave up and fight for to the end.