Oral history interview with Brigadier General Tammy Smith, 1962-

Army Brigadier General (BG) Tammy Smith is the first openly gay general in the United States military. Smith discusses her life in the military before, during, and after DADT.

Army Brigadier General (BG) Tammy Smith is the first openly gay general in the United States military. Her wife, Tracey Hepner, pinned the star onto her uniform in a private August 10, 2012 ceremony at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. BG Smith is a native of Oakland, Oregon. She was the recipient of a four-year Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1986. She was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. In this interview BG Smith discusses her self-discovery, her wife (Tracey Hepner), and her life of military service before, during, and after the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT).

LISTEN TO INTERVIEW ONLINE

The interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project.
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No restrictions on access, no restrictions on use.

Mary Baldo

Fort Belvoir, VA

Yes, transcribed.

1 mp3 file (12.6 MB)

00:53:43