Can't wait for Straight USMA to get a trip to Las Vegas...
They do all the time. I don't think this was a paid trip by USMA for the cadets and they had to pay on their own dime....as the rest of us have to do for these trips.
Why wasn't CGA's Spectrum invited? I'm not a member of that club, but they were the first one out of all of the Academies to be formed...
Are you sure they weren't invited? I think they just weren't mentioned in the post. Also, Spectrum is a cadet group whereas the other mentioned ones include graduates.
Just curious here, but when you say OutServe was an official trip, do you mean TDY orders from the USMA?
I only ask because in the end old days, if you were not on orders, than you were not to be in uniform, thus, the members should not be in uniform in public.
I am just curious. If you think about when and where you can wear a uniform as an AD member in public there are restrictions. Just asking, as many of you know I support these military members, but as a spouse, I don't know where the line is drawn from this perspective.
These aren't specifically political events. Many people wear uniform to the SLDN, Outserve, and other events like you would to a formal ball for unofficial reasons. We have lots of JAGs among us we consult and many also check with their local legal offices and we've been cleared to wear uniforms in most cases as these events aren't inherently political (at least anymore).
One solution that would make things alot easier is for the politicians to go ahead and make gay marriage (or whatever the correct term is) legal on the federal level.
Obviously the berthing and other issues will persist, but at least the bennies portion of it will go away for the poor LT or CPT trying to deal with a very real soldier issue that they have no solution for.
Getting closer. One of the challenges has made it through the 1st Circuit court. Won't be long until the Supreme court takes it up unless they try hard to avoid it. Keep in mind this particular challenge only invalidates the part of DOMA preventing the federal government from providing benefits to legally married couples.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...al-ruling-appeals-court-boston_n_1559031.html
billyb,
I think that is what every military member wants.
Bullet was assigned overseas, the AF paid for me to go with him, once there I could get anywhere on base without him, I was given employment priority. We had a friend who wanted to get out, but was married. Single members had 2 yrs, married 3 yrs. He went unaccompanied. They paid out of pocket to fly the family to Europe since his orders only had him on it. They couldn't get base housing, and his BAH was w/o dependents, even though they had not only her, but a 2 yr old. She couldn't go to the BX, Commissary, pick him up at the squadron if the other car died, and had to fly stateside every 6 months because of Visa issues since he was unaccompanied.
That is the reality of what life was like for them. That will be the reality for many homosexual couples in the military because our govt is too chicken to acknowledge homosexual marriages.
My angst is not about homosexuals in the military, it is about the govt using the military as their social guinea pigs, trying to work out the issues in this small sect of our society.
Pima, I know of several LGB couples dealing with this issue and they are going through that exact process you mentioned. It's heartbreaking but at least their chains of command are trying hard to accommodate and allow them the time to get things in order since they don't have help from the government.
As far as the guinea pig thing, you saw how I addressed that above. It is really unfortunate the discrimination still persists in the benefits and spousal areas, but most involved, including the LGB community, thought it infinitely better to have something rather than nothing. As far as being guinea pigs, well, I think a few scientists would like to have as good of results with their experiments as the repeal has had. The world didn't end and people didn't flee. In the end, it was a non-event for those not directly affected and a wonderful day for those of us it did. I don't think you disagree at all with me, but I'd like to see the guinea pig argument put to rest like other similar red herring arguments.