Rep. Gwen Moore (And House Gays) To Pentagon: Give Dishonorably Discharged Gays Their Medical Benefits
Rep. Gwen Moore, the Wisconsin Democratic, is asking Defense Sec. Robert Gates to work some magic to help veterans with “other than honorable” discharges, who were kicked out because they were gay, receive access to medical and other military benefits, which they are currently denied. And while many troops received honorable discharges under DADT, many did not. “For some gays and lesbians,” Moore writes in her letter, “the policy might as well have been – don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t provide veterans the benefits they earned.” UPDATE: House gays Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, Jared Polis, and David Cicilline have all joined the letter.
@the crustybastard: I guess I can’t use the symbol for “does not equal.”
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There are 5 different discharges they can give you:
Honorable
General
Bad Conduct
Dishonorable
and one other I don’t recall . . .
It’s been 30-something years since they kicked me out under an honorable discharge, but you lose some of your VA benefits each rung of the discharge ladder until you can end up in prison and lose ‘em all.
Back in the 1970′s, before DADT, if they caught you in a witch-hunt, you probably wouldn’t get either a general or honorable discharge, and would probably lose all your VA benefits. If you volunteered the information and had a smart lawyer, you’d probably get an honorable.
It was an awful system.
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Less than honorable ? dishonorable.