Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story Page #6

Maybe they agree with it.

- Do you?

- Even people with a high tolerance

don't out and out want

gays in the military.

They're not gonna start recruiting

for gays. What do you expect?

- You think I should be discharged?

- I'm not talking about you, Colonel.

Don't you think people should be judged

by the work they do, not who they are?

Nobody would have ever known

if you hadn't said anything.

Regulations are regulations.

You knew the consequences.

Watch your step, ma'am.

- Thank you. Good night.

- Good night.

- You should have called. I'm working.

- I was afraid you wouldn't talk to me.

I shouldn't.

I miss you.

I need you.

- You can say something here.

- Like what?

Like, it's okay.

Or like you've been waiting

for the phone to ring.

I'm old-fashioned.

I'm still waiting for the apology.

I apologize.

Not convincing.

Excuse me.

That's for you.

Open it.

I had a duplicate made for you.

Grethe.

We're gonna grow old together, you and me.

You know, I finally realized

I can be very slow sometimes.

But if I have to make a choice

between the Army and you,

I'd rather be with you.

You shouldn't have to choose.

That's what's so insane.

You know, Carson seen him

practicing that gun trick.

Not for killing Shep, they wasn't.

How do you know? Now, how do you know?

Didn't they link up the very first stinking

day that they went with the rawhiders?

And who got Shep to hire him?

I'm home. Where is everyone?

I'm saying that this wasn't...

Hi, Andy. I didn't see your car.

- I came on the bus.

- He ran away from home.

What?

I didn't run away. I moved out.

- I'm too old to run away.

- Come talk to me.

And we know that he gave that sheep

herding killer, Jubal Troop, a job.

A job. He made him a foreman.

Maybe I'm part of the problem.

Maybe I give you too much

freedom when you're here.

What if I said you had to

go back to your father's?

I'd move in with one of my friends.

So it wouldn't change anything?

No.

Welcome home.

Yes, thank you.

- Let's get it over with.

- Okay, smile.

- Big smiles.

- Say cheese.

Can we be ready in two weeks?

Why is the Army in such a hurry?

I mean, after all this time?

Well, I think they finally

caught on to the fact

the Guard isn't trying to get rid of her.

Here's an admitted homosexual

and it's had no impact

on your unit whatsoever.

- People like her.

- Even worse.

The longer you stay, the

more you undermine the policy.

- I thought you were going on a vacation.

- Here I am.

You want to hear something ironic?

The date of the hearing is the

30th anniversary of my swearing in.

The Army's always had perfect timing.

Now there are two doctors

in the family, Far.

I should have gotten a PhD

myself, but I didn't do it.

Amazing how he just managed to

make your graduation about him.

- I thought you liked him so much.

- I do, just not right at the moment.

That is the nicest thing

he's ever said to me.

My God. I'm gonna go make some tea.

- All right. What? Who wanted a picture?

- I do.

- Here you go.

- Let me try to put this thing on again.

All right.

- It's okay?

- Perfect. Yeah.

- Ready?

- Yeah.

All right.

Here we go.

- Okay. Take one more now.

- Okay.

It's an honor to be your

military defense counsel, Colonel.

Thank you.

It's going to be a challenge

for me in many ways.

That's for sure.

Well, then, let's get started. Please.

The Army is not going to look at

my record and everything I've done

and discharge me for saying four words.

It's not about you, Colonel.

It's about military policy,

and whether the government

has the right to discriminate.

Against me.

So, what do we have here?

Okay, we've got the PERSEREC Report,

commissioned by the

Department of Defense in '88,

concluded that gays

are not security risks,

they don't disrupt order,

discipline or morale.

Recommendation, lose the policy.

It must have killed them

to have to pay for that.

- What happened to it?

- It was buried by the Pentagon.

- Now, the Crittenden Report.

- That's an oldie.

1957, done for the Secretary of the Navy.

It said, "No data shows

that gays can't serve well. "

What do they think we've

been doing all these years?

Even the Pentagon admits 10% of

the military is gay or lesbian,

which makes for 100,000

people on active duty.

How do they keep saying that we

undermine the unit's effectiveness

when we're there?

That's why the policy's not

legitimate. Gays aren't the problem.

Bias and prejudice are the problem.

Let's keep going.

Okay, I think you might find

this one very interesting.

We went to see our bishop today.

- Are you pregnant, Lynette?

- No.

Not yet.

He was wonderful. We were

talking to him about you.

He told us it was

important to support you.

You're my mother, no matter what you do.

He's not in favor of your

lifestyle, of course, but...

Which part?

The part where I pay my taxes?

The part where I hold a job? Where

I make a home for my father and kids?

Where I defend my country?

We want to testify at the hearing for you.

The Bishop said we could do that.

- Can I come in, Mor?

- Lynette.

Yeah, Lynette, come and help

me. I'm having a terrible crisis.

- What's wrong?

- I can't do up my zipper.

- Oh, okay.

- You know, I've only worn the trousers.

I haven't worn the skirt since the '70s,

and I don't have time to

go out and get a girdle.

- You don't need a girdle.

- Okay.

Here, I'm gonna count to

three and breathe in, okay?

- Okay.

- One, two, three.

- There.

- Oh, good.

That's going to be me in a few months.

You are pregnant.

We just found out.

Oh, that's wonderful news.

Oh! Wonderful.

Listen, I really think Matt

wanted to tell you himself, so...

That's okay. I can hear

news like that twice.

Matt's a very lucky man.

- Ready?

- Yeah, almost.

Okay.

- Does it feel okay?

- Yeah. It'll be okay.

You look great.

Thanks.

It's down there.

- Hello.

- Good morning, Colonel.

- Nice to see you.

- Hi.

The Board will come to order.

The Board of Officers has been called

to determine if federal

recognition should be withdrawn

from Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer

on the basis of homosexuality.

Do you have any questions

regarding your rights?

No, I don't.

Is the government ready

to proceed with its case?

Yes, ma'am.

Try to relax.

As far as the evidence for

eliminating Colonel Cammermeyer,

we're going to introduce a sworn statement

made by Colonel Cammermeyer herself

during the performance of

a security investigation,

in which, as you'll see, she

admits to being a homosexual.

It is the government's

position that her statement,

in combination with the regulations,

will control your findings and

your recommendations in this case,

which must be to eliminate

Colonel Cammermeyer

from the military.

I hate having to wait out

here while Mor's inside.

Nothing they could say

could change our testimony.

It's just rules of the law.

- I wonder how she's doing. - I signed

an affidavit for her saying I know.

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