One of my friends recently returned from Iraq. All of us here who know and love him were very pleased he came back, pretty much, in one piece. He was deployed for only a few weeks to the “Green Zone” in Baghdad. His mission was very limited and specialized. Unfortunately the repercussions were not so limited.
We’ll call my friend “Joe” to keep him anonymous. Joe is a gay man who served his country in the regular army and was honorably discharged at the end of his term of service. The people in his unit knew he was gay and it wasn’t really an issue. But that’s not the point of this blog entry.
Joe was called back to service after having been discharged some time ago. By the way, the military also decided that Joe owed them money so he’s been working hard as a civillian to pay them off. I don’t really understand that or the details. What I do believe though, is that no person who is honorably discharged from service should be encumbered by debt from serving our country.
So Joe got a letter in the mail informing him he was on active duty and would have to serve when called upon. I, and other friends, were appalled at the back-door draft to which he was a victim. But, Joe, in his dedication, was not phased. He’s an honorable man and so he declared he was going if ordered.