[JoSchmooze]

As most of you who know me from this site, I served 10 years in the Army, in the medical field. But this was back in the day when it wasn't even "don't ask, don't tell". I had already been through several "witch hunts" where the Army brass investigated service people for being gay or lesbian. We always said to each other that it they "saw" us in a gay or lesbian bar, then they would also have to explain why they were there.

I was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. for almost 2 years. There were all kinds of gay and lesbian bars at the time in downtown D.C. One particuliar bar was close to the Marine Corps Barracks, but we thought nothing of going there, as long as we went with at least one other person if not a group. On one Saturday night, close to closing time, a group of us walked out and were ready to cross the street to our vehicles when we heard a group of guys behind us yelling at us "fucking dykes" and "you just need a real man" (a couple of the women with us with definitely femmes) and things of that nature.

I turned to see what was going on as the rest of our group kept walking. They were obviously Marines and obviously drunk. I tried to defuse the situation by calling out the Marine "ooooo-rah" and "Siemper Fi", but they advanced and flanked me (probably about 5-6 guys) as if they were on the battlefield. The taunting continued with slaps on my arms and shoulders and pushing me back and forth between them, and punching at my abdomen. In what seemed like forever, one finally balled up a fist and smacked me in the face, breaking my nose. The blood gushed down my face and my hands instantly when to my face. One of the guys got this horrified look on his face and started yelling at his buddies to stop.

The other thing that some here do not know is that I served 13 months in Vietnam - as a medic on med evac choppers. I was one of the few female medics who would actually go into hot landing zones to pick up wounded soldiers and thsoe who had not made it.

As I was backing away from the group of Marines, I came back with the witty retort " Fuck all of y'all.....you just beat up someone who one day might have saved your life." The rest of the group had safely made their way across the street to the vehicles. One of them ended up taking me to Walter Reed where I lied through my teeth, telling the ER personnel that I had tripped on a curb and had done a face plant.

Does it end now? No, but it is a bit more subtle....In airports and some resturants I am called "sir" all the time, but when I walk into the ladies' room I am met with the "deer in the headlights" look. Once, a much older woman walked in while I was washing my hands. She looked back at the sign on the door and then at me....As I walked past her out the door I told her...."don't worry, grandma,I got a virginia just liike you".....