Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Discrimination in a Frontline Dogface's Foxhole

Medically/scientifically I believe they were born that way and if God loves all his children he should love them also.

Courtesy: freestudents.blogspot.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - I was 21 years old and a college graduate when I volunteered to be drafted into the WWII Army. I really didn’t have to go. I ended up in a seven private section with 18-year old boys.

They were still exuberant boys and I had little in common with them except the Army BS. We worked together on Army stuff but not otherwise.

To them, I was different but we had no problems doing Army stuff. We were all round pegs in a square foxhole. Our Staff Sergeant was a jerk and we all hated his guts. He had been an Aircorps Cadet but got washed out and he hated the Air Force, the Army, the Infantry, us and everything about it. We reciprocated.

When we got into combat it seemed as if I was at the top of his S_ _T list and I seemed to get most of the S_ _ T details. All privates were expected to take the attacking point once in a while because it was almost a suicide mission and all privates were supposed to share the risk. Towards the end of the war my sergeant said “Leveque, take the point” for three or four days straight.

I was number two man. The regular infantry guys were number one for only an hour. I was not relieved all day. At the time I wondered why he seemed to hate me. I guess he could tell that I hated his guts but I knew my luck was running out. One day I and a buddy captured 26 German officers when we were on the point. That was beau coups scary!

One night on a forward observation point two of our guys were captured 5 minutes after I and another were relieved. That was double scary.

Those two were prisoners for 6 weeks and got to go home on the first boat. We visited them and Ed said “Leveque, would you have a cigarette with us before we go home”? “Sure why not”. He said, “We thought you were queer because you didn’t smoke”. I didn’t know that was part of it!^[1]

After thinking about it over the years, I figured that was the reason I was getting all the S _ _ T details. If my 6 private buddies thought I was queer they probably told the sergeant and he told my Lieutenant. That explained a lot – they were trying to get me killed and “on the point” or forward observer was the best way to do it.

I must confess, I am not gay. I love the ladies and I was married to one for 54 years. In my medical practice I had several gays and lesbians and they did have socio medical problems. I have also known many others. They don’t bother me and maybe because of the way I was treated in the Army I have empathy for them.

Medically/scientifically I believe they were born that way and if God loves all his children he should love them also.

A recent story in salem-news.com, Veterans Demand End Of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” states that 50,000 gays and lesbians have been dishonorably discharged^[2]. This is an outrageous number for persons who have volunteered – to be in “harms way”. We “straights” can not afford to lose this many people. The risk then falls on us.

LET THEM SERVE!

Related articles on Salem-News.com:

^[1]Dec-21-2007: Army Homosexuals: Let Them Serve - Perspective by Dr. Phil Leveque Salem-News.com

^[2]Feb-02-2010: Veterans Demand End of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Policy for Gays - Tim King Salem-News.com

Before any of that, Phil Leveque was a Combat Infantryman in the U.S. Army in WWII. He suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder more than 60 years after the war, and specialized in treating Veterans with PTSD during his years as a doctor in Molalla, Oregon. Do you have a question, comment or story to share with Dr. Leveque?
Email him: ASK DR. LEVEQUE
More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole". Order the book by mail by following this link: DOGFACE SOLDIER OF WWII If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.