Profiles
in Patriotism
Robaire
Watson;
Designing Freedom
by
Denny Meyer
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In the
alternate universe of StarTrek The Next Generation,
the star-ship's barber has blue skin and is from a
planet with a complex social structure totally
different from Earth's. The Enterprise is a utopia
with a diverse rainbow colored crew of varied genders
all without the slightest prejudice toward one other. The barber is a full warrior-member
of the crew, trained and ready to serve in the battles
for survival as the ship streaks across a hostile
universe encountering creatures who want to steal the
ship, steal their souls, steal their bodies, steal
their minds, or assimilate them into a cyborg society
literally run by the ultimate control Queen.
Robaire
Watson was a US Navy Ship's barber who served aboard
the USS Kansas as it traveled the seas promoting
freedom during the Gulf War and Operation Southern
Watch--off the coast of Somalia in 1993, traveling to
Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Dubai, Jebel Ali, UAE,
British Columbia, Mexico, and the Philippines during
his two enlistments. He is black and openly gay
and never encountered the slightest discrimination
aboard his warship. He grew up in a primarily
white small Texas town of 5000, went to school,
graduated, and never encountered racism.
Apparently everyone knew he was gay, as well,
according to his parent's totally unsurprised and
loving reaction when he came out to them. Is he
blessed? Is there hope for America in his
experience? Or is it simply his own glowing
personality that endeared anyone who ever met
him? It's likely that all three factors played
into the smooth bliss of his existence. Still,
who wouldn't want to touch this man's cheek for a bit
of good luck?
Robaire
is the middle child of a nominally Southern Baptist
Texas family. His grandfather had served in the Army
in World War I. He was in the Cub Scouts
and Boy Scouts, played high school football, and
was into cars and music. He said he always knew
he was gay.
After
high school, he earned money for college by working in
the oil fields. He studied design and fashion
merchandising in Dallas at Wades School of Design, North Texas State University,
and Odessa College. He wanted to see the world,
however, and like many young men he wanted to get a
bit further away from home. He joined the US
Navy in 1989 and served six years through two
enlistments until 1995.
What
was he thinking, I asked him, joining the Navy knowing
that he was gay? He said that he decided that,
"I'm going to be who I am, I'm not going to let
them change me; people don't need to feel threatened
by my lifestyle." Easy to say perhaps,
difficult to do. Robaire Watson seemed to have
designed his own personal freedom by sheer willpower
and personality. During the early 1990s, it also
helped that there was an expectation in the military
that President Clinton would issue an executive order
allowing gay and lesbian patriots to serve
openly. It did not happen, but in many commands
there had been a preparedness to enable those who did
their jobs well to be able to serve without
discrimination. Petty Officer Watson and many
others benefited from that brief bubble in time when
some commands demonstrated that they could make it
happen without difficulty. When the Don't Ask
Don't Tell law was passed, his shipmates told him, "Watson, we
don't have
to ask and we don't have to tell."
Don't
get too incredulous; Mr. Watson has had difficult
times, even having been homeless at one point.
He has seen how others have suffered from
discrimination, and he's good and angry about it.
He wrote, "In today's society, being a military
veteran, openly gay and black doesn't seem
to be enough for the media. People don't want to
hear your story unless you've been tortured, raped
or beaten to death. It's all about creating a scandal."
He is deeply troubled by the high suicide rate among
veterans, homelessness, and inadequate healthcare
resources at Veterans Administration facilities.
The scandal, for him, is the lack of public awareness
and concern about these issues. Despite all the
talk of "Supporting Our Troops," he knows
first hand how returning veterans get no respect for
their sacrifice.
"I went to the Red Cross when I was homeless and provided them
with copy of my former military ID. They
told me that there wasn't anything they could do
for me. My former employer told me
that being in the military isn't important. I spent six years in the Navy
serving two terms of duty, Operation Desert
Storm and Operation Southern Watch, onboard the
USS Kansas City, a dangerous oiler
(floating gas station). You never know if
your ship will be hit by missiles or a water
mine. In a flash, it could be all over for you
and your command," he wrote.
And
yet, when he returned to civilian life, he was on his
own. He's a resilient guy; he eventually found
his way in administration and design work. But,
he is outraged that so many profoundly physically and
emotionally injured vets are simply neglected and are
allowed to disappear;
only getting a fleeting burst of media attention if
they commit murder or are murdered. He has seen
others try to commit suicide in despair simply because
they were about to be discharged from the military for
being gay.
"I'm very fortunate that I was able to be openly
gay and live my life accordingly during active
duty," he said, "I want other men
and women who enter the armed forces who are gay
to be able to live their lives just as openly as
their straight counterparts and when they become
veterans to be treated with dignity and respect."
"In
the Navy," he told me, "I got the chance to
see the world; to learn about American diversity by
living and working with Americans from all walks of
life; I learned to deal with those with attitude, and
how to be in charge of my own space as well as guiding
others; it taught me responsibility. I'm very
proud to have done my duty serving my country."
For
his honorable service, Robaire Watson was
awarded the following medals and ribbons:
Southwest Asia Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal
Saudi Desert Storm Medal
National Defense Service Ribbon
Southwest Asia Service Ribbon
USN Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
S. Arabia Lib/ Kuwait Ribbon with Palm Tree
Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon
Armed Forces Expedition Medal Ribbon
Navy E Ribbon
Combat Action Ribbon
Humanitarian Service Ribbon |
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©
2008 Gay Military Signal
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