History
Beginning in the fall of 2005, a small group of servicemembers realized that far too few returning Iraq- and Afghanistan veterans were being included in the ongoing debate over the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy and the movement to repeal the military’s ban on known gay and lesbian troops. As they explored ways to become more actively involved, it became abundantly clear that there existed no clear platform through which the troops and veterans themselves who were actually affected by DADT could join the movement in a substantive way. Thus was created the organization that became Servicemembers United to represent the voice of the newest generation of American heroes.
The first project that this group of young veterans put together was a 7-week, 20-city nationwide speaking tour of young gay and lesbian veterans that became known as the ‘Call To Duty’ Tour. This initiative, which launched in February of 2006, proved to be remarkably successful in 1) educating audiences on and raising awareness about the DADT law; 2) providing a voice for the veterans and servicemembers themselves in the debate over DADT, particularly veterans of the War on Terror; and 3) putting a human face on the issue for the American public. The Call To Duty Tour was unique not only in the scope and success of the project, but in that the tour put those actually affected by DADT at the center of the debate.
After this initial project, the group continued to recruit other servicemembers and recent veterans to get involved and engaged in the public discourse surrounding the DADT issue. The success of the Call To Duty Tour was promoted around the country through the following summer Pride season at events in Washington, DC, Atlanta, and San Diego, and hundreds of additional active duty troops, Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans, and veterans of other periods and conflicts were inspired to get involved and join the movement.
A second nationwide speaking tour utilizing this cadre of young veterans was launched in the summer of 2007, this time fully funded and sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and targeting early presidential primary battleground states. While more limited in scope, this targeted initiative proved to help proactively shape the debate surrounding the DADT issue in the upcoming presidential primary and general election season.
During this 2007 summer speaking tour, Servicemembers United’s leadership came up with the original idea to create a massive, unprecedented commemorative display on the National Mall in Washington, DC, to be unveiled on the 14th anniversary of the signing of the DADT law, to honor the 12,000 men and women who by that time had been discharged under the DADT law. Servicemembers United enlisted the logistical help and financial support of several other LGBT advocacy organizations in the Washington, DC area to help carry out the unprecedented undertaking, appropriately dubbed ’12,000 Flags for 12,000 Patriots,’ for which one American flag was placed on a grid on the National Mall for every servicemember discharged under DADT – all 12,000 of them.
On November 30, 2007, Servicemembers United’s Executive Director led a press conference in front of the impressive display on the National Mall at which 28 retired generals and admirals also announced their support for repeal of the DADT law. This event, through its sheer unprecedented scope and success, helped solidify Servicemembers United as an aggressive, visionary, and innovative new player within the gay military, veteran, and defense community and within the DADT Repeal Movement.
After largely sitting out calendar year 2008 because of the extremely contentious presidential primary and general election cycle, along with the rest of the DADT Repeal Movement, Servicemembers United began 2009 by opening up its first full-time office in Washington, DC in order to significantly expand its activity using its innovative strategies and methods and provide substantive representation for gay and lesbian troops and veterans in the discourse and debate of the issues that affect their service and their lives.
Interest in or affiliation with Servicemembers United does not in any way reflect upon an individual’s sexual orientation or political beliefs. Standing behind those who face discrimination or exclusion transcends party lines, and a strong majority of those who support public education about the DADT issue are heterosexual men and women who recognize that discrimination is not an American value.
