A salute to gay veterans...

I am a white haired old veteran. My first lover and I met fresh out of basic training. We were together 16 years. Most of our gay friends were in the military. We watched many of them die in the line of duty over the course of six wars. They paid the price to keep our land free, and to keep it going until it began to accept and honor faithful servants such as themselves. On this night I would like to post a poem in memory of my fallen comrades: "Now that we are almost settled in our house, I'll name the friends that cannot sup with us, Beside a fire of turf in the ancient tower, And having talked to some late hour, Climb up the narrow winding stair to bed: Discoverers of forgotten truth, Or mere companions of my youth, All, all are in my thoughts tonight, being dead" William Butler Yeats