The first openly gay SEAL has built a new life here at age 41 wh a fay that has replaced the two fai he lost — the one that raised...
Contents:
- NAVY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SEAL BUILDS HIS LIFE ANEW
- ACCINTAL 'I LOVE YOU' DERAILED GAY NAVY SEAL'S CAREER
- PRI: THE STORY OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NAVY SEAL – A BOOK REVIEW
- PRI: THE STORY OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NAVY SEAL
- FATHER, HBAND AND FIRST OPENLY GAY NAVY SEAL: 6 QUTNS WH ALABAMIAN BRETT JON
- NAVY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SEAL REBUILDG HIS LIFE BIBLE BELT
- PRI: THE STORY OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NAVY SEAL
- EXCLIVE: MY NAME IS BRETT JON, I AM A NAVY SEAL, AND I AM GAY
NAVY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SEAL BUILDS HIS LIFE ANEW
Former Navy SEAL Brett Jon kept his sexualy secret while wh the ele ary un. Now he's g out to say he's gay, he says, hop of helpg others a siar posn. * first gay navy seal *
The two men are parents to Ethan, a prec 13-year-old known the flat, clay and pe untry as the only kid school wh two gay first openly gay SEAL has built a new life here at age 41 wh a fay that has replaced the two fai he lost — the one that raised him and the one he built wh fellow SEALs.
Both his parents and the Navy banished him bee he’s this steamy night, the two gay parents and their straight son are sweatg and shovg as they fight to w a roughhoe driveway basketball game lled Cheater Ball. They are close, and necsarily so, sce a gay marriage — not to mentn gay parentg — is viewed wh ep spicn and outright hostily perhaps the most anti-gay state the Jon and Whe attend Ethan’s baseball gam, they say, ach and other parents barely speak to them.
When he was high school, his mother, a vout Christian, overheard his phone nversatn wh a gay next day, Jon says, his parents nonted him.
ACCINTAL 'I LOVE YOU' DERAILED GAY NAVY SEAL'S CAREER
A former Navy SEAL and teammate of Brett Jon reviews his book Pri: The Story of the First Openly Gay Navy SEAL. * first gay navy seal *
He asked his son, “Brett, are you a homosexual?
“My mom told me homosexuals go straight to hell, ” Jon says. He had served for six years and two ployments on mandg, secretive missns when his homosexualy was was the “don’t ask, don’t tell” era.
PRI: THE STORY OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NAVY SEAL – A BOOK REVIEW
An thentic memoir of an openly gay, 10-year member of the U.S. armed wrerly panache and a rehgly direct tone, the 40-year-old Jon relat the story of his life. He grew up as a middle child plagued by ADHD unr the watchful eye of an Air Force officer father and a mother who beme a born-aga Christian and an anti-sugar health-food fanatic. He chronicl the fay’s many relotns due to his father’s ary service—first to Korea, where he explored subterranean tunnels wh his brother Marc; and then to Arizona; Cairo; and fally At, Texas, where his parents enrolled him a strictly regimented “boy’s ranch.” The school, however, only end up distancg him om his parents further, as he ched closer to acknowledgg and nsummatg his homosexual feelgs. Dperate to “prove to the world that this ‘faggot’ would acplish what tens of thoands of straight men had failed to do,” Jon enlisted the Navy, and his bold journey to bee a SEAL began boot mp durg an icy northern Illois wter. Along the way, he furtively socialized a clanste gay club Mississippi and ma two attempts at surmountg a particularly gelg Hell Week durg SEAL trag Southern California. He picts his ary service spired chapters that offer rears a vir view of troop platoon life. He engaggly crafts his most vivid memori to nostalgic anecdot; some are harrowg, such as a near-ath experience he had as a child, and some are unjt and huiatg, such as his ary discharge 2003 for reported homosexual behavr. Jon is a talented wrer who quickly gets his story across whout unnecsary exposn. He brgs a sharp personal perspective to the fal chapter: a letter to his young son about how to live life fearlsly and whout regret. Rears terted the experience of beg gay the ary, and s former “don’t ask, don’t tell” nundm, will fd Jon’ memoir a rewardg unflchgly hont tobgraphy wrten wh brevy, charm, passn and immense patrtism. * first gay navy seal *
He was terrogated by a ary lawyer who mand he nfs to beg gay. They gossiped about him, ridiculg gays and sayg a homosexual SEAL would stroy un Navy dropped s vtigatn after Jon enlisted a natnal group that advot for gays the ary, and after members of Congrs tervened.
Last December, they drove to Indiana to be married by a urt, 37, had lived his own secret, tormented life growg up Athens, where gays were ridiculed and monized. His father cracked jok about homos and day Whe cid to e out, he says, “I told my dad and he stood up and I was bracg for a punch.
PRI: THE STORY OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NAVY SEAL
Brett Jon was born to a ary fay, spendg his childhood travelg around the world. He ntued the tradn through service as a Navy SEAL, all the while knowg he was gay. * first gay navy seal *
” His father apologized for all his gay slurs over the and his brother, Matt, helped nvce Jon to self-publish a memoir, “Pri: The Story of the First Openly Gay Navy SEAL, ” released October. ”Jon and Whe want to sell the hoe and move Ethan to a public school nearby Huntsville, which they ll “a progrsive island” a state so hostile to gay marriage that s chief Supreme Court jtice orred unti to disobey a feral urt orr Febary permtg gay fay feels fortable Huntsville, home to scientists and engeers om across the untry who work fense and aerospace.
FATHER, HBAND AND FIRST OPENLY GAY NAVY SEAL: 6 QUTNS WH ALABAMIAN BRETT JON
* first gay navy seal *
“We have the only tornado shelter on the street, ” Whe, they don’t expect a gay pri para Toney anytime soon.
“Of urse, every day I take a drive is a gay pri para, ’’ Whe clients of their secury pany don’t particularly re that ’s owned and managed by two gay men, Whe says. The two are a former SEAL and former p, after all, and Jon served for years as a secury ntractor Afghanistan and Iraq after leavg the, Jon is active the Trevor Project, which operat 24-hour suici hotl for troubled lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr young people.
NAVY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SEAL REBUILDG HIS LIFE BIBLE BELT
He gets several msag a week om young gays, some the ary, who are battlg prsn and discrimatn. A young, gay ary officer recently wrote him om Sgapore, where homosexualy is illegal.
PRI: THE STORY OF THE FIRST OPENLY GAY NAVY SEAL
They never discs Christiany or “the gay thg, ” Jon Jon, who liv At, Texas, says she lov and admir her son for his honty and urage.
This was 2002, nearly a before the end of Don't Ask Don't Tell, and a time when servg openly any service as homosexual was forbidn. Jon said he had known he was gay sce he was 6-years-old and had jt cid to risk keepg the secret orr to serve wh one of the most ele ary forc the those three words jt about did him .
EXCLIVE: MY NAME IS BRETT JON, I AM A NAVY SEAL, AND I AM GAY
""Brett Jon served his untry honorably, " Navy spokperson Greg Raelson told ABC News rponse to a requt for ment for this ' SEAL team quickly found out, and though Jon said the special operatns world is "ultra-mascule" and apt to pat the gay muny a negative light, actually most of his teammat were supportive.
"RELATED: Gay NFL Prospect Michael Sam Gets Whe Hoe Shout-OutsJon eventually nnected wh SLDN, the associatn for actively servg LGBT ary personnel, who lled on the help of a Washgton, D. Brandon Webb, managg edor at and a former SEAL om the same Basic Unrwater Demoln/SEAL class as Jon, wrote on the webse that he had no ia Jon was gay at the time, but didn't matter.
"And while policians and relig fanatics ma a fs about gays servg the ary, the men and women proudly served their untry silence, and earned the rpect of their peers until DADT was eventually repealed… I am proud to ll [Jon] my iend. He was also gay.