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FORT STEWART, Ga. – Pride Month is currently celebrated in June each year to honor the 1969 Stonewall Rising in Manhattan, New York. The Stonewall uprising was a turning point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the USA, the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day”.
The U.S. Army, now celebrating all June, recognizes its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and interviewing service members and civilians for their dedicated service to both the Army Mission and our nation.
“Pride Month is an opportunity for me to highlight diversity,” said Maj. Donald A. Schmidt II, the chief officer of the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “It’s about recognizing the hard work others have put in in the past to get us [the LGBTQ community]where it is today, especially with the services. “
Schmidt, a 34-year-old Latham, native New Yorker and LGBTQ engineer officer, grew up as an army brat. He attended seven different elementary schools and two different high schools.
“Growing up as an army brat is difficult for anyone, but it has enabled me to meet people from all walks of life, share their experiences, introduce them to my experiences and grow,” said Schmidt.
In 1994 the Ministry of Defense passed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” guideline as official federal policy for the military service of lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel. The rule was seen as discriminating against LGBTQ service providers by preventing them from speaking openly about their gender identification and sexual orientation.
DADT was based on the assumption that the presence of LGBTQ people in any branch of the military would undermine people’s ability to perform their duties. Throughout the life of the policy, thousands of brave soldiers were sacked simply for what they were.
“If you are fit and qualified to serve and you can meet standards, you should be allowed to serve,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in January 2021.
Schmidt, who began his military career as a cadet at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 2003 and entered service four years later in 2007. He began his ministry when the DADT policy was still in place.
“It wasn’t that long ago that it was essentially illegal to openly serve under DADT,” added Schmidt. “The hard work, dedication, and conviction of strong men and women before us have created the conditions for me and others in the LGBTQ community to serve openly.”
In 2011, DADT was repealed and there was not this mass disruption of unit cohesion in the force. In my experience, the people and the service staff largely didn’t care. “
Shortly after the suspension, Schmidt met his spouse Matt before sending to Afghanistan.
“We connected through a dating app when I went to a mission,” said Schmidt. “When I was gone, we kept in touch and texted each other almost every day, old-school pen pals when everyone had the time.”
Shortly after Schmidt’s nine-month assignment, the couple had to quickly decide whether to continue dating or to separate due to the speed at which the Bundeswehr was deployed.
“We decided to hold out, pull in and move on to the next adventure the army has in store for us,” added Schmidt.
Now in their fifth year of marriage, the couple spends their time traveling to maintain healthy lifestyles and relationships at home and hope to one day expand their family beyond fur babies.
“I grew up in a loving and cohesive family,” says Schmidt. “Matt and I want that for ourselves one day too. Starting a family in a same-sex relationship presents its own challenges, financially, temporally and legally. But it’s something Matt and I want to do, raise a child or children in a loving family. “
At the moment, Schmidt is concentrating on his profession and serving the people he leads.
“Professionally, I am here to serve. I told myself when, after many conversations with my father, who was retiring as Command Sgt, I gave the job. Maj. That I don’t set myself unrealistic goals, stay on the ground and work hard, and if I take care of enough soldiers, complete the right missions and keep growing, the army will remain a place for me, ”explained Schmidt.
Schmidt conveyed that the simple but complex army initiative “People First” is the hardest thing managers do.
“Managers, all of us, can influence others positively or negatively,” says Schmidt. “I believe adherences like Pride Month help and remind us that we are all different. To truly put “people first,” we need to recognize, embrace, and learn from these differences before we can really put our soldiers and families first. “
For Schmidt, it is important to recognize each soldier as an individual and how these individuals can come together as a team.
“If we do it right,” concluded Schmidt. “Everything else, tied to willingness, lethality and cohesion, everything that enables our work to be done and to serve effectively, becomes easier.”
| Recording date: | June 23, 2021 |
| Release Date: | 06/23/2021 12:56 PM |
| Story ID: | 399527 |
| Place: | FORT STEWART, GA, USA |
| Hometown: | LATHAM, NY, USA |
| Web views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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This work, Army major emphasizes importance of diversity during Pride Month, by SSG Brian Ragin, identified by Divids, must adhere to the restrictions specified on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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