Your Stories 2189

Brian Q. Porter

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.

Autumn Sandeen

Raised in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley, I was born in Northridge, California as the son of a motion picture/television industry costume supervisor and a homemaker. At fourteen a flashbulb seemed to go off in my head, and the reason I had felt "off" for most of my childhood became clear: my body was starting to develop in a way that didn’t match my female gender.

Jason Grodensky

I joined the military shortly after I dropped out of college to obtain some direction in my life. I enjoyed the military and was very content with my job. Unfortunately, "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" would change that.

William Smith

I have been and will always be an American soldier. Despite the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy, I have served my country well, with honor, pride, and integrity. When I enlisted for military service near the end of my junior year of high school, I did so because of my sense of pride and duty to my country. Back then I was not concerned about whether I was gay or straight, I just knew I wanted to be a part of the military.

Rebecca A. Kanis

West Point is well-known for its honor code: "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do." When I was a cadet, I lied about my sexual orientation to avoid expulsion from the Military Academy. I was under investigation for being a lesbian in 1989, before implementation of the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. At the time, lying felt like the only option.

Paul F. Tschudi

I was drafted in 1967.  Since I was raised in Ohio in a family environment which taught me not to question authority, I cooperated and went to fulfill my duty to my country even though I had doubts about the validity of that war.

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