Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story Page #3

"You know you're welcome

here for as long as you want.

"But I'm not gonna change my life.

"Your only daughter, Grethe. "

- Hello?

- It's me.

Hi. Hi.

My father wrote back two sentences.

- Do you want to hear them?

- Sure.

Okay, I'm translating from the Norwegian.

"I'm sorry you had to

say anything about this.

"I hope it doesn't hurt your career. "

He's a tough man.

Well, at least he didn't reject me.

- He isn't right about your career, is he?

- No, he's just trying to criticize me.

I miss you.

I like hearing that.

So what should I call him?

Well, I call him Far, which

is Norwegian for Father.

- I don't think I'd better.

- Well, his name's Yahn.

Listen, I feel terrible.

Look at me and look at

you, you look so nice.

You look fine. He

probably won't even notice.

- How about Dr. Cammermeyer?

- That's safe.

- How do you do?

- Hey.

Far, this is Diane.

My daughter tells me you're

some kind of a artist professor.

Well, yes.

I mean, I am an artist

and I do teach. So, yeah.

- I don't know anything about art.

- Don't apologize. Neither does Grethe.

- Tell me your name again.

- Diane.

I may need to ask you more than once.

It's perfectly all right, Professor.

I'm on my way to the

library. I'll catch you later.

Oh, good one, Bosco!

Diane.

Hi. See you.

Why didn't you tell me it

was this hard to get a PhD?

Oh, you thought that if I could

get one, anybody could, huh?

Don't start.

Did Far drive you crazy?

No, actually, we had a good time. He

talked about the Norwegian resistance.

- He's trying to impress you.

- Well, I hear that's a good thing.

Know why he's being so pleasant?

Because he's pretending we're

just a couple of friends.

- We are.

- No, like we don't matter to each other.

- Grethe.

- I want him to understand.

No, you want him to accept

it. You want him to approve it.

Yes. Right. Yes.

Well, you know, you're

gonna be disappointed.

Look, would you slow down?

Jeez! Gotta do up my shoe.

You know, a couple of years ago,

Far was doing our family book.

He's a fool for genealogy.

And he wrote down...

He wrote down that he has three children.

Except that there are four of us.

He has three boys, is what he meant.

Oh, God.

- Why do you have him stay with you?

- He's my father.

But just once before the man's

dead I'd like to hear him say,

"I'm proud of you.

"You did a good job, Margarethe. "

I mean, what does it take?

My medals, my marriage, my sons, my rank?

I mean, he's tough.

You impress everybody else.

You impress me.

I'm going to upgrade my

security clearance to top-secret

- and apply to the War College.

- What?

I have the background.

I have the experience.

I want to be Chief Nurse of

the entire National Guard.

I'm gonna make General.

Well, that'll sure impress

the hell out of your dad.

It has nothing to do with him.

Good.

I never told anyone I rolled that

jeep. I wanted to finish my tour.

I was dumb enough to want to stay in Nam.

I was stationed in Long Bihn.

Yeah, I was at Da Nang.

- Headaches?

- That's why they sell aspirin.

Okay, look straight ahead.

You still dream about it?

Yeah.

See you next week, Frank.

Would you have this sent down to

Dr. Christianson, please? Whoops!

Colonel Cammermeyer.

Agent Cole, Department

of Investigative Services.

- Sorry I'm late.

- Oh, no problem.

- You ever applied for an upgrade before?

- No.

I ask, you answer. Very basic.

Have you ever received treatment

for any mental, emotional,

psychological or personality disorder?

I had some counseling to help

me get through my divorce,

but that's not a disorder,

in answer to your question.

- Do you use alcohol on a regular basis?

- I stopped drinking 10 years ago.

- Did you have a problem?

- I didn't want to have a problem.

- lllegal drugs?

- No.

- Never?

- No.

Have you ever engaged in immoral conduct?

No.

What do you mean by immoral?

Those defined by the

Department of Defense.

Alcohol abuse, drug abuse, homosexuality,

adultery, sexual acts with a minor...

I'm a lesbian.

- You're an active lesbian?

- I have an emotional...

I connect emotionally to women.

Sexually?

It doesn't have anything

to do with sexual activity.

Then what makes you a lesbian?

My feelings.

About women?

More about myself.

It's who I am.

Being a homosexual is not illegal

according to the Uniform

Code of Military Justice.

Only homosexual acts are, and

that's not what I'm talking about.

When you were married, were

you faithful to your husband?

For all 15 years. Yes.

So how many women have you had sex with?

- I never said I did.

- Yeah, but you have had relationships.

- I'm trying to understand. Help me out.

- This is who I am.

How many ways can I explain it to you?

So if you don't engage in conduct,

how do you know you're a lesbian?

Maybe you're celibate.

- You're not listening.

- Oh, I am.

Being a lesbian is part

of someone's identity.

Nothing more, nothing less.

- I have patients. I need to get back

to work. - We're almost done.

What possessed you to tell them?

Nobody ever asked before.

At least I don't remember them asking.

Anyway, this is for top-secret clearance.

I didn't know he was going to ask, Diane.

Anyway, it's the truth.

It'll be easier for us

to plan our schedules.

Now you won't have to waste

a weekend a month at the base.

You know you've cooked your own goose.

Why? I'm not a security risk.

I can't be blackmailed if

I've already told the Army.

There'd be no leverage.

Then why do you look so

gray around the gills?

There were restrictions against women.

There were restrictions against blacks.

There was a regulation against

mothers. Policies change.

- The Army is a reasonable organization.

- Oh, really?

- It takes... It judges a situation by

its merits. - Not according to history.

Were you there?

- You are such a soldier.

- I am.

I have 23 years of

service. That has to count.

The Army takes care of its own.

It's where I belong.

Would you have told them

anything if we'd never met?

No.

I probably would have just

kept on lying to myself.

Grethe, you have a big fat mouth.

- So what happens now?

- I don't know.

Maybe nothing.

Oh, I thought I was an

optimist. You're off the scale.

I love you.

On the firing line...

Colonel Cammermeyer.

cease fire.

We've been contacted by the Defense

Investigative Services, Colonel.

You received an adverse report.

Based on your own statement.

That I'm a lesbian?

As a result, your security

clearance has been pulled.

And your federal recognition is

under consideration for withdrawal.

- The Guard is trying to discharge me?

- Not the Guard. The Army.

- I'm allowed to say I'm homosexual.

- Not since 1982.

Regulation AR 135- 175.

Which is?

You're the legal adviser.

Tell her the wording.

The regulation says that

if a member states that he or

she is a homosexual or bisexual,

then that member will be

removed from the military,

unless there's a further finding

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