About Face: A Gay Officer's Account of How He Stopped Prosecuting Gays in the Army and Started Fighting for Thei

this is a very good coming out stor

A READER DECEMBER 1, 1998 I have just finished reading James F Kennedy's book "About Face." It's about a young Army officer coming to terms with his gayness. I am the mother of six adult children, three of whom are Gay/Lesbian. Though my children have been out for several years, this book brought to me a new awareness as to what it really feels like to be gay. Mr. Kennedy is very honest about his feelings and emotions. In my humble opinion, this book is a must read for both parents and gay children.

As a gay physician kicked out of the Navy under Clinton's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, I have a unique understanding of this book. Much the same way I told my friends that the movie "The Hunt for Red October" did an excellent job of portraying the submarine USS Dallas, on the subject of gays in the military I can tell you this book has substance. No, my experience was different, but similar enough still that Mr. Kennedy's relating parts of this book made old wounds hurt, and other parts reminded me of the progress we have made. Unlike the majority of readers who probably only understand this issue from the military or the civilian sides, I can truly tell you that Mr. Kennedy has somehow poured his soul into ink and paper, and you and I are the privileged ones.

On the subject of gays in the military, this book has amazing substance. The primary concern is not with understanding the Judge Advocate General Corps, but understanding one officer's struggle within it, and within himself. Mr. Kennedy, like many before him, searches his past for answers and doesn't really find out why he is made the way he is, then diligently searches for a present and a future, where he can love himself unconditionally, and those he chooses. Unlike the majority of readers who may have previously understood this issue only from the civilian side, those thousands of gay and lesbian service members caught in the middle of the fray, who have been discharged solely on the basis of their sexual orientation, can attest that Mr. Kennedy has somehow poured his soul into ink and paper

This personal story of serving in the military as a closeted homosexual, coming to terms and finally fighting for homosexual rights, is a wonderful companion book to Randy Shultz' book Conduct Unbecoming. I am so glad that Sean decided to tell his story so those of us who never served in the military and are not gay could gain a greater understanding. Only through understanding can changes in military policy occur