The U.S. military has its first openly gay flag officer with the promotion of Tammy Smith to the rank of Army brigadier general on Friday.
Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith
Smith received her stars in a private ceremony at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, according to a press release from the Service Members Legal Defense Network, an organization promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in the U.S. military.
Friday was also the first day she publicly acknowledged her sexuality, according to a report from Stars and Stripes, and that acknowledgement comes less than a year after the military ended the "don't ask, don't tell" policy under which an active-duty service member faced punishment or discharge if he or she admitted being homosexual.
“I don’t think I need to be focused on that," Stripes quoted Smith as saying. "What is relevant is upholding Army values and the responsibility this carries.”
Smith is serving as deputy chief at the Office of the Chief at the Army Reserve in Washington. She is a 26-year veteran of the Army and has served in Afghanistan, Panama and Costa Rica as well as stateside assignments.
“It is indeed a new era in America’s military when our most accomplished leaders are able to recognize who they are and serve the country they love at the same time," Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a statement.
Smith's spouse is Tracey Hepner, director of operations for the Military Partners and Families Coaliton, an advocacy and support organization for LGBT members of the military.
Hepner presented Smith with her stars at Friday's ceremony.
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Attaboy Dave, very enlightened outlook.
That had to be the most ridiculous post in web history. What silly point were you trying desperately to make?
This s too bad and a sorry state to reward someone who violated regulations when they joined the service and continued to do so–guess it's okay to violate rulesand standards when you're on the PC side.
Again, the only reason the founding fathers weren't hung is because they won. They broke rules all day long but i guess that's fine huh? Whether you agree with them or not by YOUR thinking when people in charge make rules they should be followed.
Good.
About time to ignore irrelevant personal trivia and promote on the basis of.merit.
I didn't know too many female officers that were not gay.
I think they just want you to stay out of their gay lives, TransitDave, and let them be humans like the rest of us.
It's juat a marriage, no different than anyone elses, your comments are why gays are fighting for rights.. I know in your small closed mind you will never get it, but your comments are childish..
Yeah, gays want to marry legally, so what is your rambling point??
When I clicked on the headline I was expecting to see General Maxwell Q. Klinger.
haha, awesome
Key words "openly gay"....if anyone is surprised by the existance of a gay General Officer, they never served in the military.
Hey TransitDave which backward southern state are you from?
She was passed along with affirmative action and Equal Opportunity threats of lawsuit and career-ending pain, alot like Major Hasan was passed along because he was muslim, even after authoring psycho jihad supporting papers for his military classes.
The 1960s ushered in the egalitarian legal regime, where hippies compelled the fiction of equality despite all empirical data to the contrary. Cut by cut, America is bleeding to death. The don't-ask-don't-tell repeal was only the most recent manifestation of the insidiousness of the counter culture left.
Ricardo you got it right and in so few words bravo
I only met a few that WERE...rumors are easy to find...
freedom of speech does not apply to private organizations
This woman violated her oath to obey the law for 20 years. She is not fit to wear the uniform
You tell'em Gunny, she is a liar and is unfit to serve.