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Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: front leading rest, gay cadets, morning meal formation, Air Force Academy, Cadet Stork, Bull Ten (more...)
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Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force + Out of Sync: A Memoir + Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock
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  • This item: Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force by Reichen Lehmkuhl

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Product Description

Reichen Lehmkuhl is perhaps best known for the ambition, intelligence, and athleticism that won him the grand prize on CBS’s Amazing Race After winning the million dollar prize, Reichen has gone on to find success acting in both television and film. However, Reichen played the biggest role of his life long before his professional acting debut, when he had to hide his sexuality to comply with the Air Force’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy.

Not wanting to face a court martial for being gay, he had to live in a world where he had to watch everything he did and said for fear of being outed; and in another world where he was free to be himself. "One of the hardest things for me to reconcile was the fact that I was completely open with my family and friends but faced the very real possibility of being court martialed and going to jail if I was open with my 'work' colleagues."

In Here’s What We’ll Say Lehmkuhl tells the story of his experiences. Lies, deceit, jealousy, love affairs, and fear were all part of life in the military. His story embodies the tough decisions and sacred promises made among the Cadets at secret meetings where they all agreed, "Here’s what we’ll say…"--a promise so sacred that the group had it inscribed on the inside of their class rings.



About the Author

Reichen Lehmkuhl is a graduate of the Air Force Academy, a captain in the Air Force, a successful entrepreneur, an international model, a flight instructor, winner of CBS’s "Amazing Race," and a Gay Rights Advocate. Reichen hosts The Reichen Show on the Q Television Network. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 346 pages
  • Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers (October 16, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0786717823
  • ISBN-13: 978-0786717828
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #525,243 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Reichen Lehmkuhl
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
front leading rest, gay cadets, morning meal formation, entire cadet wing, basic cadets, basic cadet training, marble strips, cadre member
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Air Force Academy, Cadet Stork, Bull Ten, Second Beast, Cadet Ladd, First Beast, Cadet Duncan, Colorado Springs, Grateful Dead, United States, Jack's Valley, Cadet Chase, Captain Morgan, Hell Week, Cadet Hornick, Las Vegas, Brian Bowman, Cadet Lehmkuhl, Captain Mendez, Jake Lester, Kenny Bass, Los Angeles, Allen Ladd, Ben Silverman, Captain Barbella
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Customer Reviews

42 Reviews
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 (30)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars More Revealing that the Author Realized, November 4, 2006
By A. McIntyre "Texasexpat" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I rated this book five stars because of the author's willingness to tell so much about himself (good and bad) and his leadership against the military's DADT policy.

I need to say upfront that I am gay, was drafted into the Army in '67 and served in Vietnam (hated every minute) and grew up in the same conservative Massachusetts' community as Richen Lehmkulm. I have never meet Reichen and never watched the reality TV shows on which he has appeared. I am aware that Reichen is a controversial person in the gay
community.

The first half of "Here's What We'll Say" takes Reichen from childhood through high school. My life was very similar to Reichen's. He did a good job of describing what junior high and high school is like in rural, less liberal communities of Massachusetts. Reichen's big issue during the Mass. years was feeling inferior and angry because he lived with his mom and step father in a trailer park. Some anger is still there, because Reichen names the two people who were class bullies and picked on him in the 7th and 8th grades. He states that they must be gay, even though both men are married and have many children. Reichen provides no proof that either man is gay.

Reichen learned to love flying planes from his beloved grandmother and
secured a slot at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He did well in the various training programs and showed leadership potential before his freshmen year (equal to basic training and advanced infantry training). By his second year, it is obvious that Reichen has no respect for most of the rules and training underclassmen requirements of the Air Force Academy. Many of the rule and regulation may be ridiculous, but even I (a mere draftee) understood the underlining purpose behind the rules better than Reichen.

If it ever occurred to Reichen that his love of flying and nothing else were fairly slim reasons for attending the Air Force Academy, he never mentions it in the book.

Reichen was able to have a fairly active gay sex live at the Air Force Academy and helped others navigate around the horrible Don't ask, Don't tell policy. This is the best part of the book. Reichen is not afraid to show both his good qualities and his arrogance in full bloom.

Finally the author atributes his low history grades freshmen year to his poor skills at "understanding chains of events." Yet his book is full of detailed chains of events in his life. Understanding chains of events is my best skill. Yet, I couldn't come close to writing such a detailed book about my life. Reichen does acknowledge those who helped him with the book, but I believe that he received much more help than he is admitting.

Despite all these reservation, I still rate this book 5 stars. Based on the book, my guess is that Reichen will take strong exception to my critical comments, if he ever sees this review. But, I hope I am wrong on that.
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43 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing, October 22, 2006
this book was an amazing story. it told you everything you wanted and didn't want to know a/b both reichen and the air force academy. there are some things that happen in this book that are both terrifying and saddening. it shows you that something really has to be done w/ the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. some of the things he tells you about just breaks your heart like his sexual assault and his friends attempted suicide after his boyfriend was removed from the academy after peolpe squealed on him. this is a must have that will enlighten you to things you never knew happened and still happens. this is a better book then i could ever say.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it and read it!, November 6, 2006
By J.O "jrh22386" (Glendale, CA) - See all my reviews
It appears that there are some people who, for their own ignorant reasons, refuse to buy or read this book. There are others who, even after reading it, are too moronic to understand the importance of it.

'Here's What We'll Say' is a detailed memoir of a man who many insist on pre-judging based on what they've seen on television. It took an incredible ammount of bravery for this book to even be written and I'm glad it has been. Reichen Lehmkuhl has shown that while there are things in his life that he is proud to have done, there are many other things that he is not proud of. He takes us back to his childhood where he was constantly made fun of and abandoned. He shows us the obstacles and terrors he has overcome to become who he is today. Most importantly he is exposing to the world an atrocity that has caused countless cadets their careers and their dignity. If you will not buy this book because of you're pre-judgement of the man who wrote it, buy it to educate yourself about the horrific injustice that is being done to the men and women who have volunteered their lives to serve your country and the ammount of tax dollars you are spending to discharge those men and women and waste that service. While most people would prefer to be ignorant and apathetic, I hope you buy this book and read it in it's entirety and open your eyes to one of the many travesties that this country is responsible for.
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 		 Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
What a coming out story.He really beat himself up mentaly.
Wanting and trying to be "normal" and only realizing after so many years that being gay was o.k. Read more
Published 12 months ago by MARCO

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, if unbelievable
In the forward of Reichen's book, he explains that he is not only speaking for himself in "Here's What We'll Say", but he is also speaking for other cadets he worked with and... Read more
Published 13 months ago by T. Springer

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Enjoyable
This is one of those books that after I finished it, I miss it. I miss hearing about Reichen's stories. Read more
Published 22 months ago by So. Calif book reader

5.0 out of 5 stars True to the spirit of that era
I lived in Colorado Springs during the late 1980s, and I had a cousin who graduated from the Academy in 1992, so I'm familiar with the culture of both the city and the Academy... Read more
Published on November 13, 2007 by S. Mathews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Inspiring Story
This story is very fascinating and inspiring story. I am sure I will read this book many more times.
Published on September 16, 2007 by Thomas Scofield

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read and inspiring story. Go Reichen!
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is coming out, who has a friend who is coming out, or thinks that Don't Ask, Don't Tell isn't hurting anyone. Read more
Published on September 2, 2007 by R. A. McCranie

3.0 out of 5 stars Where is the Honor Code in all of this?
Being a gay man, I enjoyed reading this book, about the struggles of gay students in the Air Force Academy. Also, I come from the same geographical area of MA where Mr. Read more
Published on August 4, 2007 by Charles Dickens

1.0 out of 5 stars friends don't let friends read horrible memoirs
This book was atrocious. Whoever edited it should be fired. I keep seeing positive reviews for it, and I can only assume that the majority of people who choose to read this book... Read more
Published on August 2, 2007 by Stephtastic

4.0 out of 5 stars More than a memoir of a very handsome man
If you are a fan of Reichen Lehmkuhl or a lover of memoirs or both, you will definitely love this book, though the author makes it clear at Author's note that "... Read more
Published on April 1, 2007 by YUNG TAT KWAN

3.0 out of 5 stars A lot of details but not deep enough
The book is great overall, since it gives the exact feeling of what means being in the Academy.

It lacks details of the sexual life of the cadets, it is vey shy in... Read more
Published on March 14, 2007 by Brazilian Boy

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Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy

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