Profiles
in Patriotism
A
Soldier Speaks
Danny Ingram
American
Veterans for Equal Rights
Southern Region Vice President By
Denny Meyer
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Danny
Ingram bears the dubious distinction of being one of
the first Americans discharged under the Don't Ask
Don't Tell law. It's a bit of a story. Danny
grew up on his grandfather's multi-generational farm
in rural Georgia. His grandfather had served in
the US Navy, in the Pacific, during WWII. His
great uncle served in the Army Air Corps in WWII and
Korea, starting as a mechanic and retiring as a Lt.
Colonel. The family was deeply religious;
dancing, movies, card playing, alcohol and nearly
everything else was forbidden. Faith and
resilient self-reliance, as taught by his grandmother,
were the guiding influences of his youth. It was
only after he left that environment and isolation that
he realized he was gay, while attending Emory
University in Atlanta. Danny
is a decisive sort of person who has made a career of
meaningful life-changing decisions. Some of
those at first sounded rather wild and reckless; but
each was a matter of being true to himself. One
of the first was to drop the idea of entering a
seminary and becoming a clergyman. Another early
choice was to join the Army Reserve, in 1988. "What
were you thinking, joining the military knowing that
you are gay?" I asked him.
He told me, "I wanted to do something for my
country, I wanted to feel I was doing something good;
and it would be an adventure. It made me mad
when people told me I couldn't do that (because I was
gay); I wanted to do it!" (Those words set
off an echo in my head as those were my own exact
thoughts 20 years earlier. One might wonder if
there is something about young gay men making the same
choices despite one being a rural southern Christian
and the other an urban northeastern Jew; but I
realized, its not about being gay, what we have in
common is being American).
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In
his six years of service, Danny Ingram was an
Admin. Specialist, Materials and Supply
Handling Specialist, and Warehouse
Operator. His work involved direct
supply and support to the front lines,
delivering food, fuel, and body bags among
other items. Among the decorations he
earned were sharpshooter badges for
rifle and grenade launcher and a marksman
badge for M60 machine gun, an Army Reserve
Components Achievement Medal, and an Army
Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. |
Danny
would likely have gone on for twenty years of selfless
service; but complacency is not one of his
attributes. When the first President Clinton
promised, during his campaign, to lift the ban on gays
in the military, Danny believed the promise. He
did not want people to think that gays had not been
serving all along. It was not in his nature to
wait and see what happened; he decided to speak out
then and there. As Leonard Matlovitch had done
20 years earlier, he wrote a letter to his commanding
officer saying that being able to be open would
enhance the service of gay people who have always
served their nation. He did not say that he was
gay. But when the questioning began, he was in
fact asked. This was before the "Don't
Ask" provision and the rest of the "Don't
Ask Don't Tell" policy was actually put into
law. He answered forthrightly, in writing, that
he was gay. Oy vey.
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That
courageous honesty resulted in a hearing that was
remarkable in the respect of the convening officers
and NCOs for his truthfulness and integrity. The
First Sgt at the hearing was black and the Unit
Commander was Latino. The commander told him,
"My grandfather had to get his ass kicked so that
I could be in the US Army; the First Sgt.'s
grandfather got his ass kicked so that he could serve;
now, Ingram, you will get your ass kicked so your
people can serve." It was bluntly and
rather crudely put, but incredibly respectful of who
he was considering the circumstance. |
A
final decision was put on hold for over six months,
while everyone awaited word from the newly elected
president. During this time, he was at first put
on alternative duty away from his unit; but when he and
his commander came to realize that none of his peers
had any problem nor discomfort with him working among
them, he resumed his normal duties. When all
discharges due to homosexuality were suspended while
the issue was in turmoil inside the beltway in DC, his
commander said, "Ingram, you may get what you
want." At
the hearing, several other officers had also expressed
that they saw no reason why a gay person, and Sgt.
Ingram in particular, should not be allowed to serve
with them. But, the prosecutor made it clear
that, according to regulations, homosexuality was
incompatible with military service. In 1948
President Truman had integrated Black Americans into
our armed forces by executive order, setting the stage
for the civil rights and prohibitions of
discrimination that followed in the next 20
years. Some of the respect Danny Ingram received
from his hearing panel seemingly was because it was
fully expected that President Clinton would follow
suit and begin the liberation of Gay Americans by
executive order to the military.
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Instead,
a so-called compromise was enacted by Congress that
prohibited gay service members from speaking about who
they were, and from engaging in homosexuality, while
being allowed to serve in silence. Although
Danny admitted to being gay before this policy was
enacted, he was nevertheless among the first to be
discharged under the new policy, honorably, due to
homosexuality.
Danny
is some kind of hero. While he was under
investigation, he spoke out at a rally, for lifting
the ban on gays, in front of the Pentagon. He
wrote letters, to President Clinton, Chairman of The
Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, Senators and
Congressmen. All answered, some with remarkable
support, in retrospect. |
In
his own words, Danny Ingram described the
thinking that led to his actions and letters:
After meeting Margaret Cammermeyer and
Joseph Steffan and reading their
stories, I was so inspired by their
courage and commitment that I
couldn't keep silent on the issue any
longer. I didn't feel like I could
remain safe and protected while others
faced great sacrifice to fight my
battle for me. And I wanted my
fellow soldiers to know that this was
an issue for every unit in the
military. It wasn't just a few high
-profile cases. It was an issue
that affected everyone at every level, and
everyone should be concerned about
it. So when candidate Bill Clinton
announced that he would lift the ban I
decided it was time for me to
do something. It was time for me
to add fuel to the fire, to speak up
so that everyone could see how many LGBT
people there were in the
military and why this policy was so
offensive to our beliefs as soldiers
about what we were sworn to
defend. In the six years that I served
in the
United States Army, writing that letter
to General Roth probably came
closest to my fulfilling my oath to
defend the US Constitution than any
other duty I performed in uniform.
Original text of my letter to my commander:
October 1, 1993
MG JOHN C. ROTH, USAR
Commanding Officer
81st United States Army Reserve Command
East Point, Georgia 30344
Dear General Roth,
I regret to inform you that due to Department
of Defense Directive
1332.14, which denies gay and lesbian
persons the right to serve in the
armed forces of the United States, I can
no longer be considered
compatible with military service.
While it has been my honor to serve in the
U.S. Army for the past four years, I can
no longer with clear conscience
continue to serve as a gay soldier in an
organization which
discriminates on the basis of sexual
orientation.
During my period of service to the Army I have
always strived to
maintain a high level of military
professionalism. As a professional
soldier
I have never thought of my fellow
soldiers as anything other than
soldiers. I have never approached
any of my fellow soldiers, neither male
nor female, in a sexual manner, nor have
I ever engaged in an any
sexual activity while I have been on
duty or stationed on a military post.
Such activity, regardless of sexual
orientation, would be "inconsistent
with maintaining good order and
discipline" as stated by General
Powell.
It is my belief that this unjust policy of
discrimination on the basis
of sexual orientation will soon
end. But I cannot accept what will
undoubtedly be the military's perception
that gay and lesbian persons have
not served with honor and distinction
during the period when the
policy has been in effect. It is
particularly painful for me to think of
the many names of gay young men on the
Vietnam War Memorial in Washington
and know that the military does not even
acknowledge the supreme
sacrifice of the gay veterans who have
given their lives in the defense of
freedom.
I wish continued success to the United States
Army. I look forward to
the day when our military is not only
the guardian of the Constitution
but the representatives of the freedom
it insures for all Americans.
My thoughts will continue to be with my
fellow soldiers as they defend
our nation at home and
abroad.
Sincerely,
Danny Ingram
SGT, 81st United States Army
Command
cc Senator Sam Nunn |
Since
leaving the Army, Danny has devoted his energy to gay
and environmental activism, while earning his living
as a university IT systems analyst. He has
founded an LGBT employees group and has worked to
develop non-discrimination policies and to obtain
domestic partner and other EEO benefits. He has
served on a university LGBT task force and commission
to further understanding and recognition of basic
rights. He has won a university award and
recognition for his advocacy. Danny
began his activist efforts even before his departure
from the Army, co-sponsoring one of the first World
AIDS Day Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt displays in his area. He
has led and volunteered in local environmental efforts
that have been awarded for community green advocacy
programs. He
has been the coordinator of his parish AIDS Outreach
Ministries and served for years a volunteer at a local
hospital's AIDS/HIV ward. He has sponsored
several children in Latin America via the
Christian Children's Fund. And
he
is a liturgical cantor and a member of the National
Association of Pastoral Musicians. Where does he
find the time for all this! But, there's more. In
local politics, he was a founding
member of a state LGBT Caucus, and has been a driving
force at the county level, as well, where he successfully
passed a resolution requesting Congresswoman Cynthia
McKinney to support the Military Readiness
Enhancement Act which resulted in her becoming a
co-sponsor of the bill that would repeal the Don't
Ask Don't Tell policy and prohibit discrimination
against sexual minorities in the military. As
a gay veteran, Danny co-founded
and serves as the coordinator of the Atlanta Pride
Military Color and Honor Guard. He is the
president of American Veterans For Equal Rights
Georgia Chapter, and the Region 1 (Southern) Vice
President--coordinating AVER chapters in the southern
US. Oh,
and in his spare time (???), Danny
played in the LGBT Hotlanta Softball League for 6
years and
served as a league official for 4 years,
including one term as league commissioner. He
wrote a weekly sports column for a LGBT publication
called Etcetera Magazine for 10 years. Just
imagine what he could do if he had any ambition!
Rather, he devotes all his time to furthering rights,
helping others, and preserving nature in the world
around him.
©
2007 Gay Military Signal
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