Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the directive of President Clinton's
1993 military policy regarding gay and lesbian soldiers. This
official silence continued a collective amnesia about the patriotic
service and courageous sacrifices of homosexual troops.
Ask and
Tell recovers these lost voices, offering a rich chronicle of
the history of gay and lesbian service in the U.S. military from
World War II to the Iraq War.
Drawing on more than 50 interviews with gay and lesbian veterans,
Steve Estes charts the evolution of policy toward homosexuals in
the military over the past 65 years, uncovering the ways that
silence about sexuality and military service has affected the
identities of gay veterans. These veteran voices--harrowing,
heroic, and on the record--reveal the extraordinary stories of
ordinary Americans, men and women who simply did their duty and
served their country in the face of homophobia, prejudice, and
enemy fire. Far from undermining national security, unit cohesion,
or troop morale, Estes demonstrates, these veterans strengthened
the U.S. military in times of war and peace. He also examines
challenges to the ban on homosexual service, placing them in the
context of the wider movement for gay rights and gay liberation.
Ask and Tell is an important compilation of unheard voices,
offering Americans a new understanding of the value of
all
the men and women who serve and protect them.