Your Stories 2189

Hank Thomas

I enlisted as a private in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve while I was in high school. After boot camp, I went on to graduate from the Virginia Military Institute. Following graduation, I was commissioned as a regular officer in the Marine Corps.

Jeff Cleghorn

I am from a working-class family in a small town in Georgia. I pursued an Army ROTC scholarship that allowed me to attend college, graduating as a "distinguished military graduate" from North Georgia College.

Jeffrey Kongslie

I enlisted in the Air Force to get an education, to do something meaningful and to see the world. It was 1992 and I was 18 years old. I knew that I was different, but I thought the military would "make a man" of me.

Joe Barrows

I served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1970. The last year I spent in Vietnam, south of Da Nang. While there, I served in electronic warfare as an unattended ground sensor operator. My job involved placing electronic sensors along jungle trails, then monitoring the sensors to detect movement.

John Frybarger

I am a 57-year-old veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and I served from 1965 until 1969. During my training, I was constantly aware of the importance of staying in the closet, especially after repeated attempts by fellow servicemen to get me to admit to being gay.

Kevin Cullens

In my more than nine years active duty in the U.S. Navy, I served approximately five years on sea duty, 1.5 years on land-based training commands and nearly three years on instructor duty at a shore command.

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