Patiently Waiting

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Thu, 23 May 2013 22:50:19 -0400

What is the dealing with deployment list? :)

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:42:44 -0400

the dealing with deployment list is a list of my followers that has a SO deployed so that they can find other people in the same situation.

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Wed, 22 May 2013 22:37:29 -0400

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:09:28 -0400

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Wed, 22 May 2013 21:41:58 -0400

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Wed, 22 May 2013 21:14:23 -0400

soldierporn: Pentagon recognizes transgender status of...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:54:41 -0400

soldierporn:

Pentagon recognizes transgender status of veterans.

(From UK Daily Mail article by Helen Pow, 16 MAY 2013.)

The Pentagon for the first time has officially recognized transgender service members in a significant step being hailed by the LGBT community.

The acknowledgement came in the form of a letter to veteran and transgender activist Autumn Sandeen confirming that the Navy had updated its records to show she is a woman.

While still a long way from open transgender service in the military, OutServe-SLDN, an organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender service members and their families labeled the move ‘symbolic.’

The letter from the Navy official, dated May 2, read: ‘Per your request the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) has been updated to show your gender as female effective April 12, 2013.’

Sandeen’s military identification card now reflects the change.

‘The fact that a process exists [to change the gender listed] indicates that there are people in the Department of Defense who are aware of the needs of transgender retirees and who are working to see those needs met,’ OutServe-SLDN executive director Allyson Robinson told BuzzFeed.

‘And, in that sense, the significance of this symbolic act for our broader work and for our goal of open service becomes I think a little bit more apparent.’

Gay, lesbian and bisexual service members have been able to serve openly in the military since September 2011, however if transgender people try to do the same they continue to be discharged, according to Buzzfeed.

Sandeen said she went to the Pentagon to change her gender status after successfully changing to a woman in records in California, the Veterans Administration, the state department and the social security office.

‘I had heard that it could be done; I had never heard of anybody actually doing it,’ Sandeen said.

So she submitted all the documentation and in May was thrilled to hear the change had been made, marking a step, she believes, towards open service for transgender people.

‘By showing you can actually change your gender marker with the Department of Defense… then it’s another step toward figuring out a way to have open service for trans people,’ she said.

‘That’s my end and I think this is going to be a step to get there.’

Robinson said it was the first time in the organization’s knowledge that the Department of Defense has recognized and changed the gender of anyone affiliated, in a uniformed capacity, to the military.

‘That alone makes it very significant, not just for this veteran herself, but for likely thousands of others who can have these corrections made to their DEERS documents,’ Robinson said.

But she called for the Pentagon to agree to gender changes on historical documents including the DD-Form-214 - the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.

‘I would say that it is a very early and very small step in a long process to achieve our goals here,’ Robinson told Buzzfeed. ‘But, it is significant, as the earliest steps always are, because it reflects a shift, even if it is a small one, in the way that transgender people are viewed within the institution of the United States military.’

endingasphalt: more military photos here

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:48:53 -0400

endingasphalt:

more military photos here

with-love-oorah: Would’ve never thought back when this picture...

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:53:48 -0400

with-love-oorah:

Would’ve never thought back when this picture was taken in February we would be where we are today. Kick ass baybay we got this distance on lock.

papaburgundyishere: This is me and my boyfriend. He’s in the...

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:33:06 -0400

papaburgundyishere:

This is me and my boyfriend. He’s in the Marines, and we hadn’t seen each other or talked to each other for three months.

I’m not the most beautiful girl in the world, or the smartest, or the nicest, but I swear to god I was the happiest girl in the world when I had my Marine in my arms again.

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Sat, 18 May 2013 23:05:10 -0400

i’ll feel better when this last month is over and cesar is...

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:59:30 -0400

i’ll feel better when this last month is over and cesar is home :)

semperannoying: Marine, Dog Reunited in Surprise Ceremony -...

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:37:16 -0400

semperannoying:

Marine, Dog Reunited in Surprise Ceremony - Marine Sgt. Ross Gundlach, of Madison, Wisc., gets a kiss from Casey, a four-year-old yellow labrador that he worked with while deployed in Afghanistan, as the two are reunited during a surprise ceremony, Friday, May 17, 2013, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. Gundlach thought he was traveling to the Iowa Capitol to tell state officials why he should take ownership of the dog, which has been working for the state fire marshal’s office. Gundlach didn’t realize officials already had made arrangements to get another dog for explosives detection.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

semperfiforeveryours: I get to see my boyfriend soon 💙 a few...

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:13:13 -0400

semperfiforeveryours:

I get to see my boyfriend soon 💙 a few days before he left on deployment he fit me into his bag and told me he was taking me with him 😉😘 love this man to death.

1000timesbefore replied to your photo: your’s truly is graduating college today. i...

Sat, 18 May 2013 22:12:36 -0400

1000timesbefore replied to your photo: your’s truly is graduating college today. i guess…

Congrats!!! I’m graduating too!! What is your plan now honey?

Thanks everyone :)

As for my plans I applied for a prestigious paid internship, I find out in September if I got it.

If I don’t (which I’m not counting on) I’m joining the Peace Corps.

your’s truly is graduating college today. i guess you...

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:29:40 -0400

your’s truly is graduating college today. i guess you could say i’m a little excited!

have a great saturday and congrats to all the other grads :)

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Fri, 17 May 2013 14:18:54 -0400

armedforceslove: “Red Rover, Red Rover, Let Daddy Come Over!”

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:07:29 -0400

armedforceslove:

“Red Rover, Red Rover, Let Daddy Come Over!”

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Fri, 17 May 2013 13:15:15 -0400

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Wed, 15 May 2013 21:42:10 -0400