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Subscribe to RSSThis is a heartwarming story. But as the AP points out, 100,000 other gay soldiers were forced out between World War II and 1993.
AP reports:
SAN DIEGO — Nearly 70 years after expelling Melvin Dwork for being gay, the Navy is changing his discharge from "undesirable" to "honorable" — marking what is believed to be the first time the Pentagon has taken such a step on behalf of a World War II veteran since the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
The Navy notified the 89-year-old former corpsman last month that he will now be eligible for the benefits he had long been denied, including medical care and a military burial.
Seth Wenig / AP
Photographs of Melvin Dwork, taken in 1943 when he was in the Navy, lie on display at his home in New York. Nearly 70 years after Dwork was expelled from the Navy for being gay, the military is changing his discharge from "undesirable" to "honorable," marking what is believed to be the first time the Pentagon has taken such a step on behalf of a World War II veteran since the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
Seth Wenig / AP
Mel Dwork poses for a picture, wearing his Navy cap, at his home in New York.
Seth Wenig / AP
Melvin Dwork's discharge letter from the Navy lists the character of the discharge as "undesirable" and the reason as "unfitness," at Dwork's home in New York.
Leave a Comment:
...It almost makes it seem like some other time so far removed from our rights today.
Sad truth was Bowers v. Hardwick was just in 1986... and wasn't even overturned until 2003. We haven't come a long ways... we have a long ways still to go.
Congratulations Sir, you served and you deserve all that is due to all Veterans of our Armed Forces.
Retired Marine
Congatulations from me too. It's about effin' time the Armed Services' establishment woke up!
'Nam vet 1969-70.
Milo, good to see you on the honorable side of this issue.
I am with the other vets above...USAF 1980-1988, and straight.
I knew of active duty guys, who were gay, including a friend, who trusted me enough to come out to me. Their sexuality had no bearing on my job, and more importantly, on their job.
skrekk
Former Bigots can and do change.
Active homosexuality was a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice in the late '50's and 60's when I was in the Marine Corps. There were several under-the-shadows homosexuals among the corpsmen but they were tolerated.
Don't ever insult Navy corpsmen to a Vietnam Marine who has been in line units. They were the best.
John: Well said.
Many that weren't ever there will never know. Guess you can't blame them....but you can certainly educate them. Nough said.
Right or wrong i am against gays and lesbians openly serving in the military . That having been said when i served i knew of many gays , I knew " I did`nt ask they did`nt tell and we were fine with that . They were not persecuted in any way and i would not have tolerated it if they were , But still i believe that too have gays serve openly will hurt the military . Again that having been said any man or woman , gay , lesbian or straight who serves this great country in the military deserves all the benefits , respect and admiration that this nation has to offer ! MAY GOD BLESS ALL WHO SERVE !!!!!!!
I disagree with your notion that they should not serve as who they are and must hide, however i respect what you have said and honor all men and woman that serve as well
Same goes for the Army medics, John. Some were openly gay, but they saved butts every day. They could be some of the most heroic people ever.
I'm with bigjohn for the most part. I think we should ALL be more discrete about our sexual preferences and activities. It doesn't need to be a topic for conversation or a matter of public knowledge. For gays or straights.
Unbelievable!! Having served 10 year in the army I can say this with 100% certainty. The military is ran by idiots and they showed their ugly head again today. How can they say that this person served honorably after screwing thousands of other airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines. Why did they not just come out with a blanket covering everyone? I will tell you why. The military is ran by idiots.
How do you know what this man did? Had being a bigot been against the UCMJ you wouldn't have made to 10 years.
I believe the OP is upset that the Pentagon's ruling on Mr. Dwork only upgrades his discharge, and wonders why a "blanket" upgrade was not issued for ALL those discharged for being homosexuals.
Jerry, I'm blown away by the fact that there are actually people like you. Question: how many Gay men do you think died in the service in their Country from the War for Independence on? How many died on the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima? Question: What is wrong with you...?
Well, Jerry, from another Jerry, it's good you only served ten years. Imagine how our country would've suffered under military defeats if you had stayed in longer. I'm proud of our military men and women, gay and straight, who have kept our nation strong and protected. Unfortunately, a few like you slip through the cracks and are an embarrassment. Your kind should never be allowed to serve and our military must work harder to keep your kind from enlisting and dishonorably discharging your kind when they manage to get in.
Well I guess you chuckleheads can't read.. He was referring to the fact that they did this for ONE MAN and THEY screwed everyone else.. The blanket he was referring to was a BLANKET AMENDMENT upgrading ALL OF THOSE that were discharged dishonorably...
Way to jump on the bandwagon without thoroughly reading the post.. Talk about mob mentality..
Jerry is on their side. He, rightly, just believes they should change ALL the old discharges, and called then out for not doing that.
This poster has +9 votes. wtf is wrong with you people?
I used to think that maybe in these next 50 years we would make some sort of great advancement in mankind. I regrettably think now that we are far far from making any advances what so ever.
I agree with KS-703175: though poorly worded, the original post seems to mean that the poster is upset that they didn't upgrade everybody's status.
Jerry (the original commenter on this particular thread): It's a shame more people can't actually read. I'm pretty sure most of the ones who came down on your comment - to the point of collapsing it - would actually agree with what you said if they could comprehend it. But, sadly, many people's reading skills end at making word sounds out of letters.
MODERATOR! Please uncollapse Jerry's comment. He is on topic, and not being hateful. He is aggrivated with the military's treatment of it's other servicemen/women. Please read his comment again carefully. Thank you!
Unbelievable!! Having served 10 year in the army I can say this with 100% certainty. The military is ran by idiots and they showed their ugly head again today. How can they say that this person served honorably after screwing thousands of other airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines. Why did they not just come out with a blanket covering everyone? I will tell you why. The military is ran by idiots.
I wholeheartedly agree Jerry. Why only do it for this ONE man? I'm glad he's getting the recognition he earned, but there are many others out there that are not. I don't want to rain on this man's victory, just think that all of our service veterans should be recognized. I guess they have to go thru each one individually. These poor men will be dead before any justice is given to them.
How did the Navy figure out he was gay? Did he get caught in the act?
I'm guessing you're not an idiot, so English must be your second language . . .
hahahah... well it may take one to know one, and with all due respect to you and the gentleman in question, but look at the pictures man...hand on hip, coy smile, and he's just really pretty...maybe its just gaydar...
Bravo! You have always been honorable! Shame on the military for all those years of admonishing and punishing homosexuals and lesbians who were our servicemen and women.
Give me a break. Our entire country felt the same way about gays. It wasn't just the military.
Interesting that you put that in the past tense, Bob. Many in our country still feel the same way (like the Bachmann crowd). Shame on the U.S. for treating any person who fought for this country the way this man has been treated. It's great that he finally got an honorable discharge but will that make up for all the years he had to explain his "undesirable" status?
jerry, i doubt you served 10 days much less 10 years. I was in the Marines from 1972 to 76 and was in Saigon from March 74 to April 75 (Mos 0321). To have you decide what this Navy corpsman did or didn't do in WW2 is crazy. I'm sure there were plenty of gays in when I was in, I didn't know and didn't care. If you were actually in, you remind me of the southerners I was in boot camp with that didn't want to have to shower with a black marine. They were told to deal with it or get the he** out. The military says this is OK and you deal with it. You don't decide what is OK, they do, you follow orders or you wash out, very simple concept. I doubt there will be much difference in today's services.
Well I guess you chuckleheads can't read.. He was referring to the fact that they did this for ONE MAN and THEY screwed everyone else.. The blanket he was referring to was a BLANKET AMENDMENT upgrading ALL OF THOSE that were discharged dishonorably...
Way to jump on the bandwagon without thoroughly reading the post.. Talk about mob mentality..
too queer,what did you do in Saigon in 74 to 75 run around with the white mice? or sweep the floor?.you should have been there in the 60,s 11Bravo
You have a lot of nerve saying he screwed thousands of other soldiers. You don't know who he slept with but I've served so many years in the army myself that i know exactly what goes on. The straight males hump anything that will sit still long enough including the officers sleeping with enlisted young women. I assure you he never slept with more than any other man. Our government officials are forever getting caught with some woman and using our tax dollars to pay them off and half of Hollywood is in bed with whomever will lay still long enough and the gays are ruining our family values. Give me a break. He served his country and should be honored for that. Who he slept with should never have been any of anyones business. No one would think of going up to a straight man and asking him how many women he's slept with and it's beyond rude to ask a gay man that question either. What goes on in someones bedroom should stay there. I applaude the government for honoring this man. It's one of the few things our government has gotten right lately.
You're an idiot. This is what Jerry-1101592 said: "The military is ran by idiots and they showed their ugly head again today. How can they say that this person served honorably after screwing thousands of other airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines."
He said the MILITARY screwed thousands of servicemen because of their sexual orientation, and that they're hypocrites for clearing this man but not covering all the other discharges related to homosexuality.
You really should read what someone says before spouting your dumbass mouth off against them.
Great story though!
WA-Moscow, the way Jerry-1101592 wrote it, you can't be 100% sure if he meant the Armed forces screwed these people or if this individual screwed these people. It's rather ambiguous.
Its not ambiguous at all. You (and several other people) owe Jerry an apology.
You have a lot of nerve saying he screwed thousands of other soldiers. You don't know who he slept with but I've served so many years in the army myself that i know exactly what goes on. The straight males hump anything that will sit still long enough including the officers sleeping with enlisted young women. I assure you he never slept with more than any other man. Our government officials are forever getting caught with some woman and using our tax dollars to pay them off and half of Hollywood is in bed with whomever will lay still long enough and the gays are ruining our family values. Give me a break. He served his country and should be honored for that. Who he slept with should never have been any of anyones business. No one would think of going up to a straight man and asking him how many women he's slept with and it's beyond rude to ask a gay man that question either. What goes on in someones bedroom should stay there. I applaude the government for honoring this man. It's one of the few things our government has gotten right lately.
Ann Pearson
I have but one retort, the females are just as bad and the males. I to served. Your right on one piont, its no ones business who one sleeps with.
WA-Moscow
You're an idiot. This is what Jerry-1101592 said: "The military is ran by idiots and they showed their ugly head again today. How can they say that this person served honorably after screwing thousands of other airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines."
He said the MILITARY screwed thousands of servicemen because of their sexual orientation, and that they're hypocrites for clearing this man but not covering all the other discharges related to homosexuality.
You really should read what someone says before spouting your dumbass mouth off against them.
Great story though!
Ann, he was saying that the GOVERNMENT screwed thousands of other solders.
So why is it just this one guy getting an honorable discharge? Shouldn't all homos that were kicked out be given the same benefits? What they should be doing is since the law was just changed, make it effective from the date the law was changed. Why go back in time? It was against the rules back in the day and he broke the Don't ask don't tell rule. He should not be eligible for benefits. It is no longer a rule so if you want to be openly gay, be openly gay and then you can be honorably discharged if you do your job.
Duh. Tracey, you think Don't Ask Don't Tell was the law in 1922? Don't spout off anymore until you educate yourself, please.
That was his date of birth.
Tracey, the fact you used the word "homos" shows exactly who you are - as a matter of fact there were probably as many lesbians - this is the nature of mankind - it's a shame that we have denied this.
Let's honor all who have served. Bigots go home!
I am pleased this sailor has finally had his record cleared and can now claim the benefits he is entitled to. Whatever this man is, he is a veteran who served his country. That is so much more than many other Americans can claim.
I agree with you Mustang, he is an American veteran and should be honored as such, thank you, and thank you to all our servicemen and women.
I am hoping what Jerry was saying is that who are they(the government) to decide that he(Dwork), alone, "served honorably", when other servicemen were discharged for the same reason. That it was the government that "screwed" thousands of other servicemen and women, for not making a blanket statement covering everyone that had served and was discharged undesirably for being homosexual. At least that is what I hope he was saying!
WA-Moscow
You're an idiot. This is what Jerry-1101592 said: "The military is ran by idiots and they showed their ugly head again today. How can they say that this person served honorably after screwing thousands of other airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines."
He said the MILITARY screwed thousands of servicemen because of their sexual orientation, and that they're hypocrites for clearing this man but not covering all the other discharges related to homosexuality.
You really should read what someone says before spouting your dumbass mouth off against them.
Great story though!
To 'mssuzieq'?
Why not let someone speak for themselves, explain what they stated, instead of you ASSuming they said something, and putting it in the best and most acceptable (in YOUR opinion) terms? Did it ever occur to you that maybe YOU are the one who is incorrectly reading what was stated and/or meant?
And to anyone who wonders why there were so many of the GLBT community who settled in the San Francisco Bay area? The military brought all the troops to the US (the European Theater troops to the East Coast; the Pacific Theater troops to the West Coast) on ships, then told them to find passage by bus, train, car, whatever, to home. Many who landed in the San Francisco area (the main military depot on the West Coast at the time) decided that the 'reception' they would get at home was not worth it, so they just stayed in the San Francisco Bay area. And/or the person they loved lived in a totally different area of the country, and they decided that they didn't want to be separate from each other for a month or two, so they didn't even go home.
Because he did and yet everyone just jumped on him when he spoke.. he clarified it once but not one of you bothered to apologize. I didn't ASSume anything..
To Mustang Captain: Amen.
Thank God for America you're no longer amongst America's finest.
my post, Thank God for America you're no longer amongst America's finest, was meant for
Jerry-1101592
Unbelievable!! Having served 10 year in the army I can say this with 100% certainty.
WA-Moscow
You're an idiot. This is what Jerry-1101592 said: "The military is ran by idiots and they showed their ugly head again today. How can they say that this person served honorably after screwing thousands of other airmen, soldiers, sailors and marines."
He said the MILITARY screwed thousands of servicemen because of their sexual orientation, and that they're hypocrites for clearing this man but not covering all the other discharges related to homosexuality.
You really should read what someone says before spouting your dumbass mouth off against them.
Great story though!
How many times do you plan to repost the same thing over and over? You are beginning to sound like either a broken record or a parrot. We read it the first 5 times you posted it.
It's great that this happened, but the problem was it is almost too late for Mr. Dwork. While we don't know his full history, it's quite possible that because of the undesirable discharge, he was unable to get a job, vote, there are many benefits that were denied him for over 70 years because of the US Navy.
Mr. Dwork, thank you for your service, even if your country is more than a little late in acknolwedging it.
Navy veteran, 1979-84
all the while, your goverment was spending tax payer money on bridges to nowhere and a billion prostitutes... way to go!!
Marky are you a Muslim by chance? Your comment "Your" government tells me you are not a US citizen, maybe you are one of you're "Peace loving" Muslims that believe it is ok to beat your wives or daughters to death according to the Quoran. Just as if all Christians followed the Bible as closely, there would be women stoned in the street daily for adultery.
Maybe you need to go ride your camel, and i don't mean on top of it.
I had a hard time reading Jerry's email at first, and thought he was angry that the military had changed the discharge category. Looking back, I can see how I (hope I) misinterpreted it. I do think he means the military should just give blanket "honorables" to all men and women discharged for homosexuality. Hopefully he'll clarify...
Awesome story! Congrats to Melvin and let's hope that the other 100,000 gay veterans discharged under this odious policy also get their honor restored. This is just a beginning.
About dammed time. But Kudos to the modern Navy for doing what they could to correct the mistakes of the past
i was in the army six years , and while in germany 81-83 we had a gay cook . we all knew it , but he was an excellent cook ! his gay roomie worked in the motor pool . he was a great mechanic ! i guess we where all just green as the army says . E6Sheldon 16R U S ARMY
did you watch them "do it"?
to Marky--idiot!
Hey Marky, are you jealous if he did and you couldn't?
Jerry is not expressing himself very well which is probably why you misunderstood him, Ray. What Jerry is saying is how can the military ONLY say this person served honorably while negecting the thousands of other gay airmen, soldiers, sailors, and marines who did likewise. Jerry is not a bigot. Quite the opposite.
He's FINALLY going to get medical care? He's FINALLY going to be shown some respect? At 89?!! It's about time!!
I am happy for him and anyone else who is acknowledged for the war veterans they are. It's just embarrassing to think that human beings, because they are different, are treated so badly due to their color, sex or sexual orientation...as if they have a choice!!