It’s not easy being a queer pacifist Vietnam vet | Veterans Coming Home

Описание: Mike Felker was a closeted gay man who earned the respect of the Marines he supported as a Hospital Corpsman in Vietnam. When he returned to the U.S. in the early 1970s he came out but found he had to keep his status as a veteran in the closet. Mike’s experience in Vietnam eventually moved him to help found Veterans for Peace.

As both a gay man and a combat medic who witnessed violent death, he has an important perspective on recent events. We were with Mike at the Philly Pride Parade when he heard the news of what had happened the night before in Orlando. Mike’s story is as inspiring as it is typical of many veterans working to help their communities and country.

This is a video from VETERANS COMING HOME, an innovative public media project exploring the lives of post-9/11 veterans, the divide between them and their communities, and the stereotypes that veterans and civilians hold about each other. Why does this divide exist? How does it affect communities across the country? And why does it matter?

VETERANS COMING HOME (VCH) is a project by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Kindling Group, and Wisconsin Public Television. This story was made with support from WHYY in Philadelphia.


Learn more about the Veterans Coming Home project at www.VeteransComingHome.org.

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