Brian Q. Porter
Chief Warrant Officer 2, U.S. Army (1988-1993) Aviator
As a young child, I knew I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps as a pilot. After I took my first trip to Kennedy Airport, I was amazed at the sight of a huge plane flying off the ground. My dad got his experience flying fighters during World War II. And I knew the military would be in my future, as it had been for my brothers, uncles, cousins and dad.
Upon graduating as class president from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, I decided to go into Army aviation. My military experience began with basic training at Fort Dix, N.J. After that, I went to Fort Rucker, Ala., for the warrant officer entry course. Then it was off to flight school and my first assignment as a UH-1 pilot for V corps "VIPs," flying for high-ranking officers in Frankfurt, Germany, during the Gulf War. My last assignment was at beautiful Fort Carson, Colo.
During my time in service, I completed a graduate degree and several pilot's licenses, including flight instructor licensure for basic, instrument and multi-engine aircraft.
My time in flight school and the Army was uneventful as far as my sexual orientation goes, and I suspect the same is true for most people. Today, as then, most people assume I'm straight and married with kids.
I did my service as I had committed to do, and in March of 1993, I was done. Sexual orientation shouldn't be an issue, and it seems like the military is moving in that direction, which it should. You do your job as best you can, as I do now as a jet pilot for a commercial airline. Your private life should stay as private as you wish it to be.
The military is representative of our society and should reflect it as such. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are becoming accepted by mainstream America. I hope that someday soon, people who want to serve our country will not be judged on irrelevant factors like their sexual orientation or gender identity.
I'm always frustrated at the slow pace at which people change. But, as one of 11 children in an Irish Catholic family, I'm very proud of the changes I've seen in my own family and the ways in which we become more educated. I think we reflect society in general — slow to change, but able to over time.