I was harassed for months and kicked out of the Army - 33 years ago this month - in October 1989, by an all white chain of command, because I was dating a black guy. I bore the shame of my discharge heavily at first, there were men in my unit trying to get kicked out, there were men in my unit because the Army was their alternative to jail. And there I was, Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps Legal Specialist trained, serving honorably, just barely 19yo white girl, being kicked out of the U.S. Army, by racists, after just 13+ months of service - I didn’t know what to think or do.
I landed in NoVA, started working for the Navy (under contract), got my degree, and have spent my entire professional life in service to this country. I grew more confident in the injustice of my discharge, but never fought it after-the-fact, beyond the initial denied appeal. Recently however, my children (both, but separately) asked me, on principle, to fight harder, and so I shall. I will seek time-served credit for my four-year contract, some time-adjusted benefits, an Honorable (vice General) discharge, new discharge and reenlistment codes, and whatever else my veteran advocate counsel suggests.
I will tell the (back-dated) full story here as I build my case. I am encouraged that this decades-old injustice is no less offensive to my children today, perhaps even more so, than it has been to me all this time.
References
- Army Regulation 27-10 Military Justice
- Chapter 3 Nonjudicial Punishment
- Army Regulation 635-200 Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations
- England, Eric [BMO]
- Gendron, Terry [JAG] Now Director, Veterans Affairs, York County, PA
- Owens, David(?) [CO HHC]
- Rado, Mark [XO HHC] Now Deputy COS, U.S. Army Europe & Africa; and President, VII Corps Desert Storm Veterans Association
- Rousseau, Arthur [JAG]
- Settlemire, Lavonne(?) [JAG]
- Watson, Terry [JAG]
- Wroten, Rhonda [HHC Admin]
No comments:
Post a Comment