What if WWII heroes had said they were gay?

The Tuskegee Airmen were a collection of black Army Air Corps fighter pilots who served America with great distinction during World War II. Remarkably bright and superbly athletic, the pilots of the all-black 332nd Fighter Group of the 15th Air Force came to be referred to as the Tuskegee Airmen once the black awareness movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s took hold. The “Tuskegee” half of their moniker derived from the fact that the most important portion of their pre-deployment training took place at the small Moton Field flight facility in Alabama, located next to historically black Tuskegee Institute.

The group has recently been in the news because its most distinguished pilot, Lt. Col. Lee Archer, died Jan. 27. To this day, Col. Archer remains the only black ace (i.e., five or more “kills”) in U.S. aviation history. Additionally, as serious observers of Black History Month start to tire from a heretofore disproportionate focus on black entertainers and ballplayers, the Tuskegee Airmen are increasingly recognized for accomplishing what no other group of World War II fighter pilots did, never having lost to enemy fire any of the bombers (B-17s, B-24s and B-25s) they had been ordered to escort over the skies of Nazi-controlled Europe.

For armed services veterans who would like to access an easily digestible account of the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen for their kids, grandkids, and even great-grandkids, it should be noted that last year, George Lucas (of “Star Wars” fame) took a cast to Poland to shoot “Red Tails.” (The Tuskegee Airmen are also sometimes affectionately referred to as “The Red Tails” because their planes had tails that were red in color). The movie will be a slightly fictionalized account of the World War II exploits of the Airmen. Among those starring are Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. Directors and actors from HBO’s award-winning “The Wire” have also been involved in the creation of this film, which is scheduled for a Christmas 2010 release date.

I’d now like to bank to the right to a subject that might be the new-millennium equivalent of the U.S. government denying the black fighter pilots of World War II the opportunity to serve in an integrated military. (Please remember that prior to President Truman’s executive order in 1948, the U.S. armed services were shamefully and embarrassingly segregated.)

The modern-day development I find eerily similar to the plight of the Tuskegee Airmen is the federal legislation (and subsequent regulatory qualifiers) that have resulted in a hideous policy whereby gays and lesbians are allowed to serve in our armed services only if they don’t admit that they’re gay or lesbian. This bizarre policy holds that if such “good soldiers” keep their atypical sexual preferences to themselves, then leaders of our armed services will do such guys and gals the great favor of not asking them whether they are, in fact, gay or lesbian. Yes, this is what is commonly known by those serving in America’s armed services as “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Senate conducted committee hearings on the issue of what bans, if any, should remain in effect that would restrict many of America’s bravest and smartest young men and women who just happen to be lesbian or gay from openly and proudly serving as American soldiers, sailors and aviators. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen told the senators at the hearings that the time has come for gays and lesbians to be able to openly serve in our armed services without compromise or detriment.

On that occasion, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates expressed similar sentiments. However, notwithstanding the pro-gay and lesbian stances of America’s top two military leaders, there remain senators such as John McCain, R-Ariz., who steadfastly oppose regulatory and/or legislative advances that would allow gays and lesbians to openly serve in our military.

I am of the mind that in America, gays and lesbians have never been restricted from functioning as teachers or preachers; nursery school workers or candlestick makers; building custodians or bakers of chocolate chip cookies.

Neither should there have ever been school principals and counselors or college presidents — to say nothing of elected politicians and appointed judges — who had to travel to and from work every day knowing that if word ever leaked about their being gay or lesbian, they stood to lose their job and perhaps a few workplace acquaintances as well. This is, without question, a saga of American history that I am very ashamed of.

If you’re not sure where you should morally stand on this issue, just consider that if, for example, a substantial number of the distinguished pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen had openly admitted that they were gay, not only would they have been locked out of the military, they would have likely been locked out of many of our hearts as well. Enough said?

The above piece was originally published HERE. The author, Donald Roscoe Brown, is a lawyer who lives and writes in Ewing.