Sergeant Phelps worked for General Eisenhower. Four decades after Eisenhower had defeated the Axis powers, Phelps recalled an extraordinary event. One day the general told her, āIām giving you an order to ferret those lesbians out.ā Weāre going to get rid of them.ā
āI looked at him and then I looked at his secretary. who was standing next to me, and I said, āWell, sir, if the general pleases, sir, Iāll be happy to do this investigation for you. But you have to know that the first name on the list will be mine.ā
āAnd he kind of was taken aback a bit. And then this woman standing next to me said, āSir, if the general pleases, you must be aware that Sergeant Phelpsās name may be second, but mine will be first.ā
āThen I looked at him, and I said, āSir, youāre right. Theyāre lesbians in the WAC battalion. And if the general is prepared to replace all the file clerks, all the section commanders, all of the driversāevery woman in the WAC detachmentāand there were about nine hundred and eighty something of usāthen Iāll be happy to make the list. But I think the general should be aware that among those women are the most highly decorated women in the war. There have been no cases of illegal pregnancies. There have been no cases of AWOL. There have been no cases of misconduct. And as a matter of fact, every six months since weāve been here, sir, the general has awarded us a commendation for meritorious service.ā
āAnd he said, āForget the order.ā
- The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America
blakekathryn
prguitarman
gummygunk
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
snowghoul
gamechangershow
