Convention Report
and Photo Gallery
AVER
Elects Vietnam Vet
LTC Steve Loomis, USA Ret.
as Leader for Post DADT Era
By Denny Meyer |
Change of Command
Photo by Mike Yost |
American Veterans For Equal Rights, America’s
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender veterans’
service
organization, serving active
service members and veterans since 1990,
has elected Lieutenant Colonel Steve Loomis, US
Army Ret., as president at its bi-yearly
national convention in Denver. LTC Loomis will
lead the activist organization through the early
post DADT era, focusing on equal benefits,
advocacy, and equal treatment of all service
members and veterans.
According to AVER President Loomis "With the
successful repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, led
principally by gay veterans, we must now turn to
insuring fair and equal rights are extended to
our active service members, that equal access to
Veterans Administration is ensured, and that our
transgender fellow service members can equally
serve our country. LGBT vets will continue to
be at the front of the fight for equal rights to
marry and for the passage of the Employment
Non-discrimination Act."
Stressing pride in service and inclusiveness,
AVER President Loomis outlined some of AVER's
goals to be achieved during his tenure
including, insuring that our right to serve
comes with all the benefits of serving our
country; advocating the right of all veterans
and service member to marry regardless of where
they live; supporting the right of Transgender
patriots to serve openly and receive full
benefits; and "Planning,
funding and starting a Veterans Assistance
Center to assist LGBT veterans to find help for
crisis intervention, PTSD, TBI, employment,
education, medical benefits and safe social
opportunities in an atmosphere of understanding
and fellowship."
In addition to the election of LTC Loomis as
President, the bi-yearly convention re-elected
Julz Carey to continue her role as VP, Apolonio
Munoz as Secretary, and past president Danny
Ingram as Treasurer.
LTC Loomis enlisted
in the U.S. Army, was commissioned an
Infantry Lieutenant and served in Vietnam as a
Platoon Leader in the 4th Infantry Division. Awarded two Bronze Stars,
a Purple Heart, and the
Combat Infantry Badge, he returned to civilian
life, and joined the Army Reserves in Albuquerque in
multiple Engineer command and staff position. He is a graduate of the University of New
Mexico. He served with the 244th Engineer
Battalion in Colorado; then, as a Lieutenant
Colonel, he served as the Chief of Military
Education for the U.S. Army Reserve. While an
Inspector General, LTC Loomis conducted a ground
breaking sexual harassment survey that included
analysis of perceptions of gays just prior to
the enactment of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. As the
Chief, Engineer War Plans for III Corps
following the death of North Korea's Kim Il
Song, he deployed to Korea to rewrite engineer
plans for the defense of Korea.
When he was awarded a fourth Meritorious Service
Medal, and was selected for promotion to Colonel
in 1995, he was discovered to be gay. He was
discharged just five days before he was eligible
for his 20-year retirement, but won his
retirement in Federal Court in 2005. LTC Loomis
founded the New Mexico Chapter of AVER. He has
been interviewed on CBS 60 Minutes, and has spoken and
written extensively to support gays serving in
the military.
"LGBT vets have served our country since the
Revolutionary War", LTC Loomis stated, "and now
gladly do so openly and proudly and will
continue to do so. We honor those, straight and
gay, who have worked to get us and our nation
this far, and recognize we have much work
remaining."
The AVER Convention in Denver featured all the
usual pomp, ceremony, color guards, strategic
meetings, speeches, and awards of a veterans'
service organization, but also included
elaborately decorated veterans' hats, late
sumptuous dinners and even later partying at
some of Denver's famed gay night spots.
The convention's keynote speaker, Iraq veteran
Eric Alva, spoke with eloquent passion about his
experience; describing in detail the moments
before and after his injury from and exploding
IED, as well as the weeks and months and years
that followed. With pathos and humor he
led AVER's conventioneers through the course of
his life from young patriot to courageous
campaigner for our right to serve in Pride.
AVER awarded him its highest honor for his
service to our nation and community, the Leonard
P. Matlovich Medal for Distinguished Leadership. As USAF Tech Sgt
Matlovich had done some thirty years earlier;
USMC SSG Alva was grievously injured in service
to our nation, awarded a Purple Heart, and then
bravely dedicated his efforts to speaking out
for our duty, our honor, and our right to serve our
nation.
Other speakers included VA VISN 19 Chief Medical
Officer Dr. Leigh Anderson, who won a standing
ovation for his stated dedication to providing
relevant and competent VA treatment for our
patriotic LGBT volunteers and veterans.
Brigadier General Tammy Smith, USAR, directly
addressed the convention via recorded video,
warming the hearts of everyone present with her
support, love, and dedication to service.
The full video will be available for viewing via
the AVER website (www.aver.us).
And, Military Partners and Families Coalition
spokespersons Michelle McLeod and Andy Blevins
inspired convention attendees with the tireless
work that MPFC is doing on behalf of our LGBT
military families.
Outgoing AVER President Danny Ingram read aloud
a letter to the AVER Convention from the
Commander In Chief, Barack Obama, in which the
President thanked our veterans for their
patriotic service, selflessness and sacrifice,
and AVER for its advocacy so that, "our patriots
no longer have to hide who they love in order to
serve the country they love."
Ingram led AVER through the repeal of the Don't
Ask Don't Tell policy; his letter advocating
repeal was read aloud, during hearings on
television, by the Chairman of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, Senator Carl Levin. He
was present when President Obama signed the
repeal of DADT. In his farewell remarks,
outgoing AVER President Ingram reminded us of
the decades during which we were forced to lie
about who we are, and who we love, as well as of
the ongoing trauma of transgender patriots who
still may not serve openly. He noted that
AVER's ongoing vital mission, now, is to "ensure
that our service members, along with their
spouses and children, are fully respected,
rewarded, and cared for while they serve in the
military, and then receive respectful,
competent, and quality care from the VA."
AVER Convention 2013 Photo Gallery
|
L-R: AVER President
LTC Steve Loomis, USA Ret., SSG
Eric Alva, Past President Danny Ingram; Photo by Mike Yost
|
LTC Steve
Loomis |
VA VISN
19 CMO Dr. Leigh Anderson |
American Veterans For Equal Rights (AVER), is
the nation’s all-volunteer Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, and Transgender veterans’ service
organization, advocating equality and equal
benefits in our armed services and for all our
patriotic veterans.
www.aver.us