Today, Tuesday June 27, DOD hosts its first “Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month Event” at the Pentagon
Department of Defense Counsel Jeh Johnson will be the
keynote speaker at an event which will include a panel discussion “The Value of
Open Service and Diversity”.
The official DOD “press advirosy” announcement is here.
Leon E. Panetta, Secretary of Defense, personally thanked
LGBT servicemembers and DOD civilian employees, and mentioned DADT repeal.
Elizabeth Flock has a story in US News, (“Washington
Whispers”), here.
USCG Lt Commander Zac Mathews spoke about the event on CNN
Tuesday morning.
CBS News has a YouTube video of Panetta’s remarks.
The mention of civilian employees is important. After my college expulsion in 1961, getting a
top secret security clearance became a big deal. I actually served in the Army as a draftee
(sheltered by my education) 1968-1970 but was transferred to Fort Eustis out of
the Pentagon under bizarre circumstances in September 1968. As a civilian employee of NAVCOSSACT in the
Washington Navy Yard (1971-1972), I was interrogated about any risk of “blackmail”
and the end result of my top secret security clearance investigation was
ambiguous. I left and went to “private
industry”.
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