 
|
|
Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway
A book that will move hearts and open minds, Jeffrey McGowan’s memoir is the first personal account of a gay man’s silent struggle in the don’t-ask-don’t-tell military, from a cadet who rose to the rank of major, left as a decorated Persian Gulf hero, and whose same-sex marriage was the first on the East Coast.
Love of country and personal love combine in this groundbreaking memoir of one gay man’s life in the military—and beyond. In Major Conflict, Queens-born Jeffrey McGowan tells how he enlisted in the army in the late 1980s and served with distinction for ten years. But McGowan had a secret: he was gay. In the don’t-ask-don’t-tell world of the Clinton-era army, being gay meant automatic expulsion. So, at the expense of his personal life and dignity, he hid his sexual identity and continued to serve the army well.
Major Conflict is a moving account of his years in the military, the homophobia he encountered there, and his life afterward. McGowan presents a vivid portrait of his experience as a soldier in the Persian Gulf, where he commanded U.S. troops in Operation Desert Storm, eventually rising to the rank of major. Ultimately, however, he realized that the army held no future for gay men—even closeted ones. Desiring more of a personal life and tired of hiding his true identity, McGowan resigned from the Army he loved in 1998. In February 2004, he married his partner of six years in New Paltz, New York, making front-page news in the New York Times.
| Customer Reviews: |
|
| |
| Well worth reading! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
 |
|
I really enjoyed reading this book and admire the author's courage and tenacity. Definitely highly recommend this book.
|
| Powerful and Painful |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
Well-written, engaging memoir of a dedicated soldier torn between love and service to country and the enormous obstacle to that service, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT). Mcgowan's inner turmoil over his commitment to military service and his awareness of homosexual desire is wrenching. Such existential dilemmas are often difficult to imagine, because sexual identity so easily trumps professional ones. But Mcgowan saw his military identity just as vividly as he saw his gay one to the point of suppressing the latter for the former. I think many of us perceive one's sexual persona as paramount, that it's often difficult to empathize with those who would compromise it for any reason, much less for a military career in which others' hostility to that persona can be virulent. That a dilemma could arise seems challenging enough, but clearly it did for Mcgowan, and the conflict is palpable throughout the book. (I have a new appreciation for gays in the priesthood.)
Faced with the same situation, it's easy to dismiss this conflict as exaggerated. E.g., when I was in the Navy, I refused to compromise, told all, and pleasantly served until honorably discharged. But that was over thirty years ago. Clearly, DADT has placed a pall over military service that has become significantly more hostile and intense, and while my commitment to military service was always a waystation, clearly it was literally a way of life for Mcgowan. His service and sexuality tore equally at his dual core identities, and because of DADT, it became increasingly more painful year after year, grade increase after grade, love after love, until something had to give. The reader can't help but feel his pain. (cf., Sarte's "No Exit.")
Most of us know the disasterous consequences of such a policy (e.g., terminations at Monterey of Arabic-speaking gays), but here we see vividly the human agony of such nonsense. And perhaps the most disturbing feature of Mcgowan's experience is why one's sexual orientation matters at all. Many scream "homophobia," but he endured it. I experienced nothing of the kind. My "loss" to the military didn't amount to a hill of beans, but here is a career officer with an exemplary skills and stellar performance in the upper echelons of the military hierarchy, and the only issue is over his same-sex attraction? We have retrogressed and become amazingly petty!
Everyone will benefit from this book. Polity is often a prescription for unintended consequences, and DADT's consequences have been of an inordinate magnitude. Here's a perfect example of it. Conservatives, military personnel, moderates, liberals, policy-makers, and (maybe) the far-left can learn from Mcgowan's experience and his consequences. May his new life and this expose give him consolation. He's earned it!
|
| For all who walk two paths at once |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
Jeffrey McGowan's work is a well-written account of a gay soldier's precarious position in the US military. McGowan is a true officer and gentleman. This is no "kiss and tell" memoir filled with scenes of rampant sexual escapades; instead, it is a thoughtful description of one gay man's attempt to survive in an institution that routinely purges gay persons. His story should strike a chord with other persons who, for one reason or another, find themselves struggling with a similar double-life reality.
|
| Gulf War vet battles homophobia |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
Jeff McGowan wrote this autobiography-critique directly from the heart. He is proud of his military service, but angered that he had to jump through so many hoops to conceal himself. When being fired upon, is their colleague's sex lives really a preoccupation of soldiers?
McGowan openly says that the Army continued to hound soldiers who were suspected of being gay. His personal experiences match up with the statistical research done by Washington, D.C.-based advocacy groups. "Don't ask don't tell" actually encouraged the Pentagon to increase their witch hunts. This was time and energy which could have been spent guarding the country against attack.
I've read other accounts about failures of the 'don't ask don't tell' policy, but appreciated his frank candor. McGowan describes how duplicity is much more damaging to the individual solider, and the entire armed forces. The climate of paranoia increases the intense stress which people are already feeling in a combat situation.
Our country continues to have embarrassing contradictions between `support the troops' and this long-outdated policy. It only increases the psychological stress which people are under in battle and removes the potentially best solider from the battlefield, only because of sexuality.
I feel that his participation in the Persian Gulf and then a marriage ceremony makes this account especially realistic for contemporary audiences. McGowan's book isn't the first and it's not likely to be the last, but the intensely personal writing about very current events makes it so much more powerful.
|
| Eye opening about the effects of "don't ask, don't tell" and very heartfelt |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
This book is a very heartfelt account of the life of one gay US soldier. It spans roughly two decades: it starts with McGowan's time in the ROTC and goes up to his promotion to Major and his choice to leave the army (with a short epilogue on McGowan's life after the military and his marriage in New Paltz).
I think the book portrays very well the enormous difficulties and the psychological tolls that gay soldiers have to go through in order to continue to serve. Part of the McGowan's service was under the so-called "don't ask, don't tell", part of it was under the previous regime. The book led me to conclude that from a practical point of view there is hardly any difference between the "don't ask, don't tell" and the regime in which gay people were simply excluded: both regimes require gay US soldiers not have a life. It is amazing how pervasive the effects of "don't ask, don't tell" are, how intrusive they are in the everyday life of the soldiers. The book exemplifies how gay soldiers are forced by the policy to lie: they are forced to lie to straight soldier and they are forced to lie to one another because they have no way of being sure whether the other is gay. They can't go to gay bars because if they are seen they are discharged. They can't communicate with their partner openly, even via letter, because it is too risky. McGowan's book shows how "don't ask, don't tell" makes it almost impossible for gay US soldiers to have a life.
The book is moving in many parts; I really came to empathize with Major McGowan. I was also surprised by how full of events his life was.
I also want to note that the book is quite well written. The book would benefit from more editing, but the narrative is really compelling and heartfelt.
I read the book twice in a row.
|
|
