Gov. Awards Full Benefits To Wife Of Female Soldier Killed In Afghanistan (1st Same-Sex Couple)
Source: Huffington Post
Government Awards Full Benefits To Wife Of Female Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tracy Dice Johnson, whose wife was killed fighting in Afghanistan, has received word from the Department of Veterans Affairs that she will receive the same survivor benefits that heterosexual married couples are entitled to.
Johnson's wife, 29-year-old Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Donna Johnson, was killed Oct. 1, 2012, by a suicide bomber. They are believed to be the first same-sex couple to suffer a casualty after the 2011 repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," the federal law that barred openly gay and lesbian individuals from serving in the military.
According to the Army Times, Johnson announced the VA's decision on Saturday at the American Military Partner Association's gala, where she received the organization’s 2014 Community Hero Award. She called the VA's announcement "an important step toward our end goal of achieving equal treatment for all military families."
Johnson was an outspoken advocate for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as being between one man and one woman for federal purposes. It therefore barred Johnson and other gay war widows from receiving equal benefits, including the return of the wedding ring recovered from the body and a monthly indemnity payment of $1,215.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/19/tracy-dice-johnson_n_5351243.html?1400508534
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Staff Sgt. Donna Johnson gave her life in service to her country and its right that her wife Tracy should get the same benefits as any other surviving spouse. This is good for America and good for the military.
I recently saw the movie "Soldier's girl" and its horrible to think there was a time when people were brutally murdered under the suspicion of being gay and have no one to safely talk to because of don't ask don't tell, which POTUS Obama repealed.
For the widow.