When I was visiting in DC a few weeks ago for Memorial Day, former AVER DC Chapter President, Tony Smith shared with me some correspondence he received from Major Alan G. Rogers, a member of DC AVER and the first openly gay casualty of the war in Iraq. Alan was killed by an improvised explosive device on January 27th, 2008. Tony received the second message below on January 26th, the day before Alan died. These notes are a reminder of the serious nature of military service, the dedication of those who serve, and the fragile gift of life. Many of the people I met in DC knew Alan personally. Tony writes “He is missed by many friends and his memory lives on in all that we do.” Alan Rogers is a great hero to all of us in AVER, and we all remain inspired by his life and sacrifice, both those who knew him personally and those who did not have the gift of having met him.
Category Archives: Press Releases
AVER President to Testify Before US Civil Rights Commission
American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) National President Danny Ingram has been invited to testify before the United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) on Friday, May 31, 2013, at 9:30 AM at the Commission’s headquarters in Washington, DC.
The briefing will be entitled “Is the Federal Government Adequately Protecting the Civil Rights of Our Veterans and Service Members Who Have Fought for Our Rights?” According to the USCCR, the purpose of the briefing is “to examine the current status and enforcement of veterans and service members’ civil rights by various federal agencies.”
AVER to Post Colors, Place Wreath at Arlington
American Veterans for Equal Rights will participate in the One Hundred Forty-Fifth National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, May 27, 2013. AVER will place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and will “post colors” for the first time in the Veteran Service Organization (VSO) Parade of Colors at the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater as part of the official Memorial Day program with President Barack Obama in attendance.
AVER, Outserve Meet with Atlanta VA
Members of the AVER Georgia Chapter and active duty personnel from Outserve met at the Atlanta VA Medical Center on April 27th for a presentation of Operation S.A.V.E., the VA’s Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training program. Carlo Domingo, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the VA and the Suicide Prevention Case Manager for the Atlanta VAMC, conducted the training along with other members of the VA staff. Mr. Domingo participated in AVER Georgia’s Pride program last October and expressed his desire to perform S.A.V.E. training to a targeted LGBT audience. Saturday’s program was the result of his collaboration with AVER Georgia in designing a suicide prevention program tailored specifically to LGBT veterans. Continue reading
First Openly Gay General Pinned Saturday
General Tammy Smith
Yesterday at a ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery Brigadier General Tammy Smith, US Army, became the first openly LGB general in United States history. General Smith’s wife, Tracey Hepner, co-founder of Military Partners and Families Coalition, pinned her wife’s first star to her shoulder.
You made this happen.
Earlier this year I had the honor of attending the Pentagon’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month commemoration. Two years ago they were firing us. Now they are honoring our service.
You made that happen.
Continue reading
AVER Condemns Chik-Fil-A statements as Un-American
Atlanta, GA (AUG 1, 2012) – As proud veterans who keep our oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, American Veterans for Equal Rights supports Chik-Fil-A COO Dan Cathy’s right to make whatever kind of statement he wishes on his personal beliefs about the nature of marriage as a religious institution. However, AVER upholds as the core American belief the Equal Protection Clause, the statement in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which provides that “no state shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Marriage is a legal contract which defines a specific set of legal protections under the law.