General in the military who is gay

The entire event flipped everything Smith ever thought on its head. Then, at the heart of the event, two individuals that Smith loved pinned on her stars. Keith H. Kerr ( – October 24, ) was a United States Army Reserve Colonel, who later was given the rank of brigadier general in the California State Military Reserve, part of the California State Defense Forces, and in became one of the highest-ranking openly gay military officers.

As the first general officer to come out as gay while still serving, Smith has led the charge for equality, diversity, and integrity in the military. Army Reserve officer Tammy Smith was promoted to the position of Brigadier General on August 10, In doing so, she became the first gay general to serve openly in the U.S. military.

It was official. On paper, the ceremony followed all the standard protocols for such an event. For Tammy Smith, the first openly gay general to serve in the United States military, professional success had always been linked with personal secrecy. General Taylor attained the highest Military rank of those LGBT service members serving openly and is the only openly gay male general or flag officer in the Department of Defense.

He most recently served at the Pentagon as the Army Chief Information Officer/G-6’s Director of Architecture, Operations, Networks, and Space. Knowing the Army was actively monitoring the media about her personal life may have been a minor detail, but it brought the weight of the situation into focus, she said.

20, , the Defense Department repealed its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gays serving in the military. Smith walked into the event terrified but hopeful that once it was over, a similar event could go easier for the next person. As the Social Security Administration stops sending paper account statements you should open a My Social Security online account to manage benefits.

This week, Smith, who was special assistant to the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs, retired after 35 years of service. After meeting her wife Tracy Hepner in , however, the weight of living two lives increasingly proved too much to bear. General Taylor attained the highest Military rank of those LGBT service members serving openly and is the only openly gay male general or flag officer in the Department of Defense.

Here are seven important ways Social Security will be different in Stay informed with AARP's latest updates on Social Security. It terrified her to come out as gay in such a public way, but she felt a responsibility to do it, she said. Army Reserve officer Tammy Smith was promoted to the position of Brigadier General on August 10, In doing so, she became the first gay general to serve openly in the U.S.

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WASHINGTON — An Army

The doctrine both prohibited harassment based on sexual orientation, but. In fact, they still receive positive messages each day. Since then, Smith has gotten married, has been promoted not once but twice, and made history after coming out as a member of the LGBT community. During the ceremony, Smith also noticed a public affairs officer briefing a three-star general about the news headlines.

The COLA isn't the only thing changing for Social Security next year. The Army leader who spent decades keeping her life a secret was publicly out to the entire world. A quick and easy guide for how to apply for Social Security retirement, spousal and disability benefits as well as for Medicare. After all, it is not uncommon for Soldiers to celebrate promotions with their loved ones. Smith held her ceremony a year after the repeal of DADT.

Currently, she serves as the commanding. Before they could be, the married couple had to take that first step of publicly declaring their love, while also giving visibility to the LGBT community. This calculator estimates your monthly Social Security retirement benefits based on your earnings history and the age when you start to claim benefits. In , her promotion to brigadier general grabbed news headlines.

By three, the initial news articles published. The general never sought to make history that followed her decision to include her wife, Tracey Hepner, during the promotion ceremony. The journalists made sure of it. The ceremony did not start until four in the afternoon. Since Maj. The policy banned lesbians, gay men and bisexuals from serving in the military.

On Sept. Keith H. Kerr ( – October 24, ) was a United States Army Reserve Colonel, who later was given the rank of brigadier general in the California State Military Reserve, part of the California State Defense Forces, and in became one of the highest-ranking openly gay military officers. Friends and family gathered, she raised her right hand and repeated all the lines asked of her.