Serving in Silence

"Serving in Silence," by Margarethe Cammermeyer (with Chris Fisher) is a memoir by a nurse who rose to the rank of full colonel in the United States Army. An openly gay woman, she challenged the U.S. military's policy of discharging gay people. But her fight over this policy is only part of a wide-ranging and consistently fascinating book. The book begins with her childhood in Norway during World War II and Nazi occupation. The reader follows her as she emigrates to the U.S. and becomes a citizen. Cammermeyer tells in depth about her career as an Army nurse; particularly fascinating are her memories of serving in wartime Vietnam. The book also covers marriage, motherhood, and divorce, as well as her civilian nursing career and her continuing military service in both the Army Reserve and the National Guard. A particularly intriguing aspect of the book is her quest to raise a bilingual family and celebrate her Norwegian roots; in this regard the book represents a fine contribution to the canon of multiethnic American literature. The book is not just about the colonel, but is a multigenerational family story; her accounts of her relationships with her parents, sons, and other relatives are very moving. Cammermeyer also offers interesting insights into military life, the nursing profession, and the process of discovering the lesbian and gay community. Cammermeyer has lived a truly epic life, and this book is absorbing throughout. I found the prose style very enjoyable to read. The book's cover emphasizes the colonel's role as a pioneer for gay rights, and indeed this aspect of the text is truly compelling. But the book succeeds on many other levels. I highly recommend "Serving" to those interested in the Vietnam War, lesbian and gay studies, military memoirs, women's studies, and the nursing profession.

I know Dr. Cammermeyer personaly...She is an amazing woman who has been through many struggles...This book was a way for her to let other people know what she had to put up with and try and give others hope that even when you feel like everything is going wrong...Never give up, something good will always come.

I am an out lesbian who's been involved with queer politics and HIV issues for 15 years, but I just recently got around to reading Dr. Cammermeyer's book. Even after all my years of being "out," I found her story and life so far to be fascinating and inspiring. It's wonderful to have another role model for my own life! I encourage anyone interested in finding out how women can change society and military policy to read this book. It's also a good read for the role of women in the Vietnam war and in the National Guard. Dr. Cammermeyer is truly a "great American," as the military admitted while in the same breath sanctioning her discharge. Her story is all about one person having the integrity and strength to stand up for what she believes to be right, using the legal system to out-maneuver the military, and continuing to be a passionate and out-spoken supporter of banishing ALL types of discrimination. But her book is also an amazing window into the life experiences that fully shaped her to be the person who she is today. Daughter, mother, soldier, nurse, life partner, healer, activist: Dr. Cammermeyer is a hero on so many levels, and you'll have the chance to learn about all of it in her book. (The made-for-TV movie starring Glenn Close as Dr. Cammermeyer and Judy Davis as Diane, her life partner, is also fabulous!)

In 1996 I was fired from a government law enforcement position due to my orientation. I hit bottom, emotionally and financially. This book helped me see we have to fight discrimination, that I can survive this ordeal and come out a better person. It is a story of courage from a real hero, and I reccomend it no matter what your orientation, military status, or personal beliefs.

Clearly reveals the absurd and cruel policy of the military concerning lesbians and gays. How disgusting that an institution of the U.S. government shows such bigotry, ignorance, and distain for a group of people, not to mention an individual who served her country with dedication and distinction. How disgusting the bigotry continues in the military and throughout our government.