Sandi and Deneil Honor America Through Military Service

Washington, DC is the latest battleground for gays and lesbians serving in the military, and the point of conflict is the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. This barrier to service combined with a history of flawed exclusionary practices have resulted in discrimination against tens of thousands of LGBT citizens who wanted only to be of service to their country. Two of these citizens are Sandi Hassett and Deneil LoGiudice. While their experiences predate DADT, they faced and surmounted the obstacles of being lesbians in the military.

Sandi graduated from West Point Academy with a BS in Engineering in 1989 and continued her military service as a helicopter pilot. She served as Executive Officer 5th Aviation Division & Air Assault Platoon Leader at Ft. Polk, Louisiana and spent one year as Platoon Leader in the Texas National Guard. When asked why she chose West Point, Sandi stated, "I wanted the opportunity to serve my country, meet diverse people, get a good education and stay physically active." She continued, "I didn't join the service for America to do anything for me. I expected America to allow me to prove myself once given an opportunity."

Deneil's life took a different path when she was "separated" from (kicked out of) West Point Academy only one week prior to graduation. Nonplussed by this event that would have shaken even the strongest of soldiers, Deneil joined the Army. She became a Helicopter Mechanic for the US Army Reserves, graduating first (among a sea of men) in her MOS training class for UH-1 Helicopter Maintenance. Deneil stated, "Instead of flying a Huey like Sandi, I learned how to maintain and repair them." She continued her education and holds a BA in Economics.

Sandi and Deneil ironically re-met each other at a ten-year soccer reunion at West Point in 2001. They were married in Belgium in 2006 and now happily co-habitate in San Jose, California with their three cats and one rescue dog. When asked about DADT, both women expressed passionate convictions about repealing the law for the good of the country. "Performance and ethics matter, not demographics or preferences. There are so many great people willing to serve their country. Simply because they choose to be true to themselves, they are denied this opportunity."

By Angela Minor

Angela has had the good fortune to participate in several professional careers over the course of her lifetime. She has applied her skills to teaching English, and writing; small business ownership, and writing; sales and marketing, and writing; university graduate level research, and writing. As is evident, writing has been her companion throughout! She is the word nerd who actually takes notes at symposiums and events! And not just on the presented topics. She finds people, settings, interactions and conversations fascinating. The entire visual, auditory, kinesthetic experience is worth noticing and noting.

Angela has traveled the globe soaking in the scenery, culture and customs near and far. She has lived in the bush of Alaska to the Atlantic seaside of Savannah and various places in between. She is currently a full time freelance writer with pieces in various venues on the web and many local and regional publications. When she is not writing, Angela can be found at the latest Broadway show or communing with Mother Earth in The Great Smoky Mountains.

Comments(1):

1. Inspiring my Sisters.

   Best, Jeff Cobb, Berwyn IL

   Saturday, November 21, 2009 Jeffrey