Customer Reviews

Coming Out under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two (Plume)

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"Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II," by Allan Berube, is a fascinating and well-written piece of American history. The author draws from a rich variety of sources in order to tell this story. Among the topics he covers are the following: the process of being inducted into the armed forces in that era, the experiences of gay people in the training phase, gay social life stateside (particularly in the major port cities), the threat of harassment by military police, the role of military psychiatrists in our culture's evolving understanding of homosexuality, and the experiences of gay soldiers in combat.

Berube also reveals the tensions that occurred within the military establishment as efforts were made to refine and reform policies dealing with homosexuality. He discusses the interrogation and imprisonment of gay troops. Other interesting topics covered are gay slang and coded language, and the use of female impersonators in GI shows like "This Is the Army."

The book includes a number of black-and-white photographs and reproductions. There is also a note on sources used, such as interviews, letters, and government documents. There are also extensive endnotes. Throughout the book, Berube brings forth the voices of many WW2 veterans. Ultimately he looks at the impact of WW2 on the evolution of gay culture and political activism. I consider this book to be an essential companion to Randy Shilts' monumental "Conduct Unbecoming: Gays & Lesbians in the U.S. Military," which focuses on the post-WW2 era. "Coming Out Under Fire" is a remarkable achievement: poignant and inspiring, it is a valuable addition to the fields of both lesbian and gay studies and military history.

It has taken me almost FOREVER to write this book review, which is a real pity, since this is the only book about 'gays in the military' that you really should bother reading. I read it last summer, when I was living in Northampton, Massachusetts. The region is widely viewed as a lesbian mecca, and while this statement is too extreme, it has a large kernel of truth. There are many lesbians (god bless 'em) in the area, and they are very socially and politically active. I would recommend they read a book Honorable Discharge: Confessions of an Army Dyke. (You can find that on Amazon.com) Not that I agree with the premise in that book--as the reader will see shortly, Berube's book is much better-- but they are more likely to relate to the issues discussed, as they are from a woman's perspective. Berube--while touching on the issue of lesbians in the military ('butches', as he calls them often)-- spends most of his text on the male perspective.

Gay activists expecting to see a book that falls into the "Gays were fine in the military until Ronald Reagan and all those born again Christians came along" are gonna be REAL REAL disappointed in THIS text. Being gay was no problem in the military until psychiatrists developed cute little oppression theories and wondered if it might be more 'compassionate' to dismiss gays from the armed services. When did THIS happen? Why, just prior and during WWII! The primary motivation was to get respect for their profession of psychiatry and if that meant a few hundred--few thousand--few hundred thousand, by now--gays in the US armed forces had a tougher go of it, well, that was just too bad. By the 1950s the idea that gays were unfit for national service, threats to national security, dissatisfied snivelers and commie sympathizers was (with a little help from Philby, Burgess, Maclean, Chambers...) firmly entrenched. The focus changed from dismissing people on the basis of what they DID to dismissing them for what they WERE. Sound familiar? The entire network, the sickening web of government paternalism that characterized the 'no way you can do it without help from us' politics of the 1960s and early 1970s, culminating in quotas under the guise of 'affirmative action' (no quotas on us gay guys, though! Sorry folks..we were on the wrong side of the fence!); all dates back to this period. It fell apart under the cumulative weight of its own stupidity in the 1980s. May it never rise again.

Berube deals with the problems gay men and women endured serving in the US Armed forces with dignity and calm professionalism. He daels with delicate emotional issues with maturity and discretion. To Randy Shilts, US Navy ships are floating drag shows filled with t-rooms in the bulkheads. To Berube, they were a difficult environment where men might have to seek moments of affection in such isolated places as anterooms near gun turrets. Berube makes clear that 'campiness' and 'double entendres' amidst gay personnel were a way to survive and endure in a military setting; a way to release tension and relax. To Shilts they were verbal personal ads. To Berube, having to share bunks on troop trains meant that men might be able to get together 'once the curtains were drawn in those lower bunks.' To Shilts all that would matter was an orgy en route. In summary, this book is not about Gay Soldiers. Berube talks about Soldiers, who happen to be gay. Gay activists have yet to learn the difference, if they ever will.

Simply stated, this was not an easy book to read. One has only to scan the first chapter to begin cringing at the shameful way that gay and lesbian soldiers were treated by their own government.

It can certainly be said that The United States of America has more to be proud of than most nations. Our achievements are many and justly celebrated. However, there are episodes in our great nation's history which cause us to feel anger, contempt and sorrow. We must remember that it was "we the people" who allowed the near genocide of America's indigenous peoples; the enslavement of hundreds of thousands of Africans; the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII; the persecution of American Leftists during the McCarthy era; and, just as egregious, the wanton and callus betrayal of American soldiers who's only crime was being born gay or lesbian.

Stories of inhuman degradation at the hands of a malicious psychiatric community bent on establishing a solid and permanent reputation within the medical community, are plentiful.

The great majority of these men and women served the Untied States with distinction. That their patriotism was met with contempt, and their lives often ruined by a "blue" discharge, is a stain on our nation's honor.

Berube's book is a mighty history in the lives of gay American men and women in WWII military. Berube is meticulous in his research and documentation, and presents the information well. This book has been his work for several years, armed, as he says, with the "Freedom of Information Act." What others have relegated to the dusty shelf, Berube brings back to the forefront, and proclaims how integral a part of our history it is. A monumental work, and a great read as well.

A fascinating look at how the US military treated gays and lesbians during WWII. Especially interesting is the military's double standard: allowing gays and lesbians in the military during the war years because they were much needed, but taking a tougher line towards them after the war was over.

I had to buy it for a class. It was an interesting and insightful book.

I purchased this book for a class in college and found it an easy read. The subject matter is not one that generally interests me but the author keeps you engaged. The book has a good historical summary and does a good job at tying the issues it brings up to the world of today. An easy to enjoy book.

The value of this book lies in its compilation of first-person, firsthand stories from WWII veterans about being gay or lesbian and in the service during the worst war ever fought. From how they answered the single psych screening question at induction: "Do you like girls?"; to the gleeful sneaking around in basic or on base; to the heartbreaking stories of lovers losing each other on the battlefield, and the shocking humanity of straight comrades who found out; to the awfulness of being outed and the shame of the blue discharge--the vets' stories make this book worthwhile. When the book delves deep into policy discussions, or asserts its thesis that the GLBT experience in WWII helped structure the gay liberation movement of a generation later, it loses impact. Still, a worthwhile and necessary addition to any library about gay history, or World War II.

This is a very well-researched study of a subject that has long been hidden and ignored. In addition to being a top-quality study of America's treatment of gay & lesbian citizens in the WW II era, it is also important to help understand today's attitudes and problems. Most revealing is how the military's post-war changes in attitude propelled America's evolution into a homophobic nation.

This work is of sole academic interest. It would be particularly so to students of WW11, or the social history of the USA. It is a good read and quite informative regarding the lives of citizens who were to give us the modern society in which we live today.