Charles Schoen
1926 - 2014
By Danny Ingram |
|
Charles "Chuck" Schoen, one of
the six founding members of American Veterans
for Equal Rights, passed away on February 27th,
2014, in Desert Hot Springs, California, at the
age of 88. Chuck was a Life Member of AVER and
is survived by his fellow US Navy veteran and
partner of 48 years, Jack Harris, also a Life
Member of AVER. Chuck Schoen served in the
United States Navy during World War II, the
Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Chuck enlisted in the US Navy
in, July, 1942, at the age of 17. Chuck worked
his way up from enlisted to Lieutenant JG,
serving 19 years as a nuclear specialist,
holding a top secret clearance and travelling
three times to the Mediterranean aboard aircraft
carriers. Just short of his retirement Lt.
Charles Schoen, a veteran of three wars, was
Less-Than-Honorably discharged from the Navy for
being gay. He lost his retirement and all
benefits. Some years later, working with a
private attorney, Chuck was able to upgrade his
discharge to Honorable, but he never received
the full retirement he rightfully earned as just
reward for his service to the Navy and our
nation.
In 1987 Chuck worked to form
Veterans C.A.R.E. (Council for American Rights
and Equality), one of several LGBT veterans
groups organizing to fight the ban. The
group participated in the Second National March
on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in
October, 1987. In 1990 Chuck met with five
other organizations in Minneapolis to form GLBVA
(Gay Lesbian Bisexual Veterans of America),
later AVER. That same year he travelled to
Washington, D.C. to testify on the issue of gays
in the military before the United States House
Subcommittee on Oversight and Veterans Affairs.
Chuck Schoen worked his entire
life to end discrimination against LGBT
Americans in the United States Armed Forces, and
he lived long enough to see the repeal of Don't
Ask, Don't Tell in 2011. Chuck is
remembered as one of the quiet giants of our
community, a man whose determined efforts to end
injustice against LGBT people helped change our
nation and help America move forward in our
destiny to become the largest, most diverse
society in the history of the world to embrace
equal rights, equal responsibilities, and equal
respect for every citizen. For this, and
for his remarkable life and service to our
country, the members of AVER express our
heartfelt gratitude for a life well lived.
Lieutenant Chuck Schoen,
shipmate, you stand relieved. We have the
watch.
AVER would like to express our
deepest sympathy to our fellow veteran Jack
Harris in the loss of his partner. Chuck
has been cremated, and his ashes will be mixed
with those of Jack following his death, both to
be interred together at sea.
by Danny Ingram, Past
President
American Veterans for Equal
Rights.