Koppitegrrrl

I want to tell my story so that people can see just how often homosexuals are kicked out of the military. It is not only the documented cases of those kicked out for homosexual activity. There are many like myself kicked out for being gay, but legally our discharge papers say another reason. This way the military does not have to admit to the massive amount of men and women discharged under the policy. It is a deception. I was an F-16 avionics Journeyman. I had been in the Air Force for three years. I was deployed to Iraq once, for four months. I had to hide my relationship. She could not know my status while I was deployed. The other members of my unit where allowed to have their status reported to their loved ones. She could not participate in any spousal support groups. These groups also included girlfriends and boyfriends, as long as they are not gay. She could not live on base with me. We could not cold hands in public even out of uniform. When I was injured at work and had to go to the base hospital they would not let her in. we two children I raised with her, however they were legally hers. If someone in my unit was sick and need to take off to help their girlfriend/ boyfriend’s child that is ok. If our kids were sick I could not help out. I could not bring her to base functions and family days.
One day I was on a date with her at a restaurant about 30 minutes from base. We were snuggling and kissing but nothing too crazy. One of the guys from my shop put it on his myspace page as a video. He had apparently been taping us most of the night with his Iphone. He did not mean any harm by doing that. He was just a perv. However, as the video spread I had to go see the commander. I had fractured my back one year prior to this. I was still recovering and trying to get back in shape to pass my fitness test. They gave me two options. The first was to take an honorable discharge and they will file failure to meet fitness standards, even though I had more time to try and pass. The second was face a court martial where they will rifle through all my belongings, search my computer, and interview my friends. If they decide I am in fact gay I would get a dishonorable discharge. I took the honorable discharge. I risked my life for this country and in return I got nothing. I am now living in a homeless shelter because I was living in base housing. I lost that when I was booted out. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a ridiculous idea that forces all homosexuals in the military to violate their core values. The Air Force core values are integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. Integrity my ass.