Military’s First Openly Gay General Officer
Army reserve officer Tammy Smith (pictured here with wife Tracey Hepner) was recently promoted to brigadier general.
along with the promotion she is also publicly acknowledging her sexuality for the first time, making her the first general officer to come out as gay while still serving. It comes less than a year after the end of the controversial dont ask, dont tell law.
All of those facts are irrelevant, she said. I dont think I need to be focused on that. What is relevant is upholding Army values and the responsibility this carries.
But Smiths pinning ceremony on Friday marks an important milestone for gay rights advocates, giving the movement its most senior public military figure. She has already been assigned as deputy chief at the Office of the Chief at the Army Reserve, and spent much of 2011 serving in Afghanistan.
Full article and photo here:
http://www.alan.com/2012/08/10/militarys-first-openly-gay-general-officer/
Edited to add...
Here's an additional link to a longer article:
http://www.stripes.com/news/smith-becomes-first-gay-general-officer-to-serve-openly-1.185372