by Hannelore Suderman Courage comes in many forms. Retired Army Col. Grethe Cammermeyer \u2014 nurse, Vietnam veteran, Bronze Star recipient and civil rights champion \u2014 mustered yet another form of courage to disclose that she was a lesbian, even though it meant she would lose her job in the military.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s UW Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Veteran Award recipient, Cammermeyer is lauded for leading the way for gays in the military. But her story is filled with examples of courage from nursing injured soldiers in war and pursuing a military career when women did not have many opportunities to sharing even the most painful moments of her personal story.<\/p>\n Cammermeyer, \u201976, \u201991, started active duty as an Army nurse in 1963. After training and serving abroad, she volunteered to go to Vietnam, where she ultimately became the head nurse of the neurosurgical intensive care unit. After Vietnam, when she was back stateside, married and pregnant with her first child, she was forced into taking an involuntary discharge because military policy dictated that women with babies could not serve in active duty.<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t take it as a frustration,\u201d she recalls. \u201cYou just took it as a deal that you made. If you wanted to have a family, you left the Army.\u201d But Cammermeyer wasn\u2019t ready to end her military career just yet. \u201cWhen the policy was changed,\u201d she says, \u201cI immediately started the paperwork to get into the reserves.\u201d<\/p>\n While raising four sons and working at VA hospitals in Washington, Cammermeyer earned a master\u2019s degree in nursing at the UW in 1976. But she sought something more. \u201cI wanted to do something at a higher level,\u201d she says, explaining her choice to return to school. \u201cI wanted to be the best \u201cneuro\u201d nurse around.\u201d She completed her Ph.D. in 1991.<\/p>\n In the middle of it all, with school, work, children and the reserves, \u201csomething went tilt and I didn\u2019t want to be married anymore,\u201d she says. While she was certain of herself professionally, she wasn\u2019t sure about her personal life. Divorced, having lost custody of her sons, she immersed herself in her work. \u201cThe time was emotionally traumatic,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI was near-suicidal.\u201d<\/p>\n In 1988, Cammermeyer became chief nurse of the Washington State National Guard. Around that time, she met her future wife, Diane Divelbess, and her personal life became clear. During a security interview to vet her as a candidate for the War College, she revealed her sexual orientation. \u201cI said I was a lesbian, owning it out loud for the first time,\u201d she says. \u201cFor me, it was a matter of honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Established in 2012, the Distinguished Alumni Veteran Award (DAVA) is given to a living University of Washington alumnus veteran who made a positive impact on the local, national or international community, the University of Washington or the veterans\u2019 community. Our previous award recipients distinguished themselves both in community service and in their professional lives.<\/em><\/p>\n Read her remarks from the Nov. 11 Veteran\u2019s Day ceremony<\/a>.<\/p>\n View images of the Veteran\u2019s Day ceremony<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more information about DAVA and the previous recipients, visit uwalum.com\/dava<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n 2015 Distinguished Alumni Veteran Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer, M.A. \u201976, Ph.D. \u201991, U.S. Army by Hannelore Suderman Columns Magazine Courage comes in many forms. Retired Army Col. Grethe Cammermeyer \u2014 nurse, Vietnam veteran, Bronze Star recipient and civil rights champion \u2014 mustered yet another form of courage to disclose that she was a lesbian, even though…<\/p>\n
\nColumns<\/em> Magazine<\/p>\nPhoto credit: Matt Hagen<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"