[Vision2020] Gay troops OK’d to march at parade in uniform

Fri Jul 20 20:26:03 PDT 2012

Mr. Arnold . . .

You are wrong on sooooo many levels.

How about sharing some evidence concerning President Obama's not allowing benefits to gay married military couples,  benefits common to heterosexual military couples?

When a person enters the service a "home of record" (HOR) is established, usually the city and state in which they enlist.  

The service member's HOR can only be changed at time of reenlistment.  I am unaware of how a commissioned officer's or warrant officer's HOR, as they do not "reenlist".

My HOR was always Northridge, California, during my entire 20-year career.  I paid state taxes while assigned to Presidio of San Francisco, Fort Irwin, San Diego's Balboa Naval Hospital (to where I was medevac'd), and Fort Ord. But that is another story.

Unlike truck driving that is legally recognized throughout the United States, same-sex marriage isn't.

And another thing . . . 

Regardless of a service member's home of record, (s)he is required to obey the laws of the state in which (s)he is assigned.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"If not us, who?
If not now, when?"

- Unknown

On Jul 20, 2012, at 20:06, Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Tom,
>  
> A married gay man or woman solider does not get the same benefits as a married heterosexual solider. It is because Obama has not allowed it. A solider can be deployed in any state or anywhere in the world it doesn't matter. As you know, military men and women, like truck drivers, can claim residency in any state while on deployment, they don't have to keep changing residency each time they are redeployed. My Dad claimed residency in Idaho his entire 21 year career yet he was never stationed there, he was stationed abroad on three ships, and in Florida, Texas, California, and Washington DC.
>  
> Donovan J. Arnold
> 
> From: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
> To: Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com> 
> Cc: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com> 
> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 8:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Gay troops OK’d to march at parade in uniform
> 
> I'm guessing that there are no gay married military couples, simply because . . .
> 
> If there were any known gay married military couples, prior to the repeal of DADT, they would have been administratively discharged under DADT.
> 
> The repeal of DADT places the focus on the very question you are asking . . .
> 
> Will gay service members be permitted to marry?  Maybe the answer to that question will depend upon the state in which they are assigned.  Although DADT has been repealed, gay service members may not be permitted to marry at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  Yet, maybe that same couple can get married at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.
> 
> Suppose that a gay married military couple (recently married at Fort Devens, Massachusetts) are assigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  What then?
> 
> Eligibility for government quarters?
> 
> Will military chaplains be permitted to perform same-sex marriages?
> 
> You've just GOTTA know that these are questions looming just over the horizon.  And they will be answered.  They'll have to be answered.
> 
> Seeya round town, Moscow.
> 
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
> 
> "If not us, who?
> If not now, when?"
> 
> - Unknown
> 
> 
> 
> On Jul 20, 2012, at 19:16, Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > Obama appealed DADT, yes, but, as far as I know, gay married military
> > couples still aren't eligible for the same benefits as hetero married
> > military couples.
> > 
> > Chas
> > 
> > On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 4:33 PM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:
> >> One question . . .
> >> 
> >> Huh?
> >> 
> >> President Barack Obama repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)
> >> 
> >> DADT was enacted by President Bill Clinton.  DADT simply stated that a
> >> service member could not be asked if (s)he is homosexual.  However, if it
> >> were discovered that a service member is homosexual, (s)he could be
> >> discharged under "less than honorable" conditions, usually a general
> >> discharge.
> >> 
> >> President Obama terminated DADT, thus allowing ALL service members to serve
> >> proudly, regardless of their sexual preference.
> >> 
> >> Now, Mr. Arnold . . .
> >> 
> >> Care to tell us how you feel that President Obama has not done anything.
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Seeya round town, Moscow.
> >> 
> >> Tom Hansen
> >> Moscow, Idaho
> >> 
> >> "If not us, who?
> >> If not now, when?"
> >> 
> >> - Unknown
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> On Jul 20, 2012, at 16:05, Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
> >> wrote:
> >> 
> >> I would like to know why men and women in uniform are denied benefits for
> >> their family simply because they are gay? It seems unfair that our men and
> >> women in uniform that put their lives at risk cannot have the same rights as
> >> other Americans. An executive order by the President could change this, yet
> >> he doesn't.
> >> 
> >> Donovan J. Arnold
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> From: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
> >> To: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> >> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 3:15 PM
> >> Subject: [Vision2020] Gay troops OK’d to march at parade in uniform
> >> 
> >> Courtesy of the Army Times at:
> >> 
> >> http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/07/ap-gay-troops-march-in-uniform-san-diego-pride-parade-071912/
> >> 
> >> -----------------------------------
> >> 
> >> Gay troops OK’d to march at parade in uniform
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — About 200 active-duty troops participated in last
> >> year's San Diego gay pride parade, but they wore T-shirts with their
> >> branch's name, not military dress.
> >> 
> >> This year for the first time ever, U.S. service members will be able to
> >> march in a gay pride event decked out in uniform.
> >> 
> >> In a memorandum sent to all its branches, the Defense Department said it was
> >> making the allowance for the San Diego parade on Saturday — even though its
> >> policy generally bars troops from marching in uniform in parades.
> >> 
> >> The Defense Department said it did so because organizers had encouraged
> >> military personnel to march in their uniform and the event was getting
> >> national attention.
> >> 
> >> Former sailor Sean Sala, who organized the military's participation in the
> >> parade, said he wanted service members to wear their official uniform this
> >> year to show there is no longer anything to hide.
> >> 
> >> "My soul is on fire," he said after hearing the news Thursday. "They don't
> >> fight in T-shirts. They fight in uniforms. This is about showing who they
> >> are."
> >> 
> >> Thursday's move came only weeks after the Pentagon joined the rest of the
> >> U.S. government for the first time in marking June as gay pride month and
> >> made an official salute to gay and lesbian service members.
> >> 
> >> Defense Secretary Leon Panetta vowed in a video message to remove as many
> >> barriers as possible to making the military a model of equal opportunity and
> >> said gays and lesbians can be proud in uniform with the repeal last year of
> >> the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.
> >> 
> >> Last year, San Diego's gay pride parade had the nation's largest contingency
> >> of active-duty troops participate before the military lifted its ban on
> >> openly gay service members.
> >> 
> >> The Pentagon said the allowance is only for this year's parade in San Diego
> >> and does not extend beyond that. Military personnel wearing civilian clothes
> >> do not need permission to march in any parades.
> >> 
> >> The Defense Department policy says personnel cannot march in parades in
> >> uniform unless they receive approval from their commanding officers or other
> >> Pentagon-approved authorities.
> >> 
> >> Sala believes there will be no going back after Saturday. He said he has
> >> reached his dream in seeing the U.S. military sanction participation in a
> >> gay pride parade, as the armed forces have done in Canada and Great Britain.
> >> 
> >> Uniformed soldiers in those countries have marched down the streets of
> >> Toronto and London next to scantily clad men, drag queens and civil rights
> >> activists.
> >> 
> >> "I think across the country we will start seeing active-duty members in
> >> uniform march in pride parades," Sala said.
> >> 
> >> San Diego Pride Executive Director Dwayne Crenshaw called it an historic
> >> moment.
> >> 
> >> "San Diego Pride is honored to have the privilege of celebrating our country
> >> and our service members with dignity and respect," he said. "The fight for
> >> equality is not over, and it is not easy, but this is a giant leap in the
> >> right direction."
> >> 
> >> Before Thursday, several service members wanting to participate in San
> >> Diego's parade were told they could not do so in uniform. Others were
> >> granted permission by their commanding officers.
> >> 
> >> "I think many people thought after 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was gone,
> >> discriminatory things would be eradicated," Sala said. "But now these
> >> parades have become a very sticky subject as far as commanders using their
> >> own discretion because they are showing either a bias toward a pride parade,
> >> or the right view, which this is about recognizing who people are."
> >> 
> >> Before the repeal, gay troops could serve but could be discharged if they
> >> revealed their sexual orientation. At the same time, a commanding officer
> >> was prohibited from asking a service member whether he or she was gay.
> >> 
> >> More than 300 service members have signed up to participate this year in the
> >> San Diego parade. It was unclear how many will wear their uniform.
> >> 
> >> The Defense Department said in its message to the service members that they
> >> should adhere to policy regarding behavior while wearing their uniforms.
> >> 
> >> Service members in uniform cannot appear to endorse or selectively benefit
> >> groups or individuals, provide a platform for a political message, or appear
> >> to be commercially sponsored. They also must ensure their presence in
> >> uniform is not intended to increase sales and business traffic.
> >> 
> >> Air Force Officer Joanna Gasca, 47, was among those who risked marching last
> >> year in a T-shirt. Her commanding officer had given her permission to do so
> >> this year before Thursday's memorandum was issued.
> >> 
> >> "It was absolutely thrilling last year to walk down the street," the Air
> >> Force recruiter said. "But this year — to be able to march in uniform — wow!
> >> I'm speechless."
> >> 
> >> ---------------
> >> 
> >> More than 200 active-duty troops and war veterans marched in San Diego's gay
> >> pride parade last year. The Pentagon is allowing service members to march in
> >> the 2012 San Diego parade in uniform, a first for the military.
> >> 
> >> <image.jpeg>
> >> 
> >> -----------------------------------
> >> 
> >> "Free at last, free at last . . . "
> >> 
> >> Seeya round town, Moscow.
> >> 
> >> Tom Hansen
> >> Moscow, Idaho
> >> 
> >> "If not us, who?
> >> If not now, when?"
> >> 
> >> - Unknown
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> =======================================================
> >> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> >> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >>            http://www.fsr.net/
> >>        mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> >> =======================================================
> >> 
> >> =======================================================
> >> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> >> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >>            http://www.fsr.net/
> >>        mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> >> =======================================================
> >> 
> >> 
> >> =======================================================
> >> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> >> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >>              http://www.fsr.net/
> >>        mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> >> =======================================================
> > 
> > =======================================================
> > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >              http://www.fsr.net/
> >        mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> > =======================================================
> 
> =======================================================
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net/
>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> =======================================================
> 
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