Something for Memorial Day:

Air Force Technical Sargent Leonard Matlovich was the recipient of the Bronze Star, Purple Hart, and Air Force Commendation Medal.

On October 7, 1975 Sargent Matlovich was excommunicated from TSCC for homosexual acts.

Also in October, he was discharged for homosexuality.

Sargent Matlovich died on June 22, 1988. His tombstone reads:

WHEN I WAS IN THE MILITARY
THEY GAVE ME A MEDAL FOR KILLING TWO MEN
AND A DISCHARGE FOR LOVING ONE.

https://scontent.fslc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/18813813_1556888974335323_6769885065788399125_n.png?oh=a0d85d4b3888e105ec29f4233bfa198d&oe=59A16067

Thank you Sargent Matlovich for proudly serving an ungrateful nation. You did not deserve the treatment you received from the nation or the LDS church.

This is a thank you for every person that has served their nation. This is to remember all that died in the process.

This is also to remember those that served the military as second class citizens or having to hide who they are.

As an Iraq veteran I salute you brother. Rest In Peace.

Hear, hear...



[Excellent post, LGBT.]

Wow. I never heard about that before. SO wrong.

RIP, Sgt. Matlovich.

Rest In Peace and know your service and life are appreciated!!!

I use Instagram, but mostly to follow interesting people and groups etc. I post a few pictures but not much of interest to anyone but me.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an Instagram page called "the_aids_memorial" so I started following it, and found that it's a place that family and friends of those who died from AIDS and AIDS related illness can post a tribute to their loved ones. Many of the posts are about celebrities but more of them are about family members, cousins and uncles and brothers of the person posting. They are very touching, just about enough to make me sad about the way these people (not all men) were treated.

One of today's posts was about Leonard Matlovich. OP provided some of his details but according to WIKI, he was excommunicated not once but twice by the morg. That just made me catch my breath.

As an old white man from Utah, who grew up TBM, the only contact I ever had with gay people was in the early 90's and I worked with a guy at the Citibank Card Center, out by the SLC Airport. He was gay and made no effort to hide it.

He was not from Utah; I don't remember where from, but we were on the same "team" at this card center.

Within a year, he had been off work due to illness for a month or so and then one day, our team leader took us all in a room and told us that Nick had passed away, from AIDS. You could have heard a pin drop and several people were not very nice about it.

I don't remember much else about him, but we were never told if there was a funeral or memorial for him. It was kind of like he disappeared, which I guess he did.