Tammy Smith has become the first openly gay officer to be promoted to the ranks of Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. Smith's promotion took place on Friday in a private ceremony at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. She received her stars from wife, Tracey Hepner, the first time her longtime partner was officially recognized as her significant other at a military gathering.
Smith is assigned as deputy chief in the Army Reserve Office of the Chief in Washington, D.C.
Her promotion comes less than a year after the implementation of the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (DADT), the policy enacted in 1993 under U.S. President Bill Clinton.
The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service.
After much debate that the policy was discriminatory, the U.S. Congress voted to end it with the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.
President Barack Obama signed the bill into law on December 22, 2010 and full implementation of the repeal occurred on September 20, 2011.
But Smith, 49, downplayed the milestone of her appointment in a post DADT military, in an interview with Stars and Stripes newspaper.
'All of those facts are irrelevant,' she said. 'I don’t think I need to be focused on that. What is relevant is upholding Army values and the responsibility this carries... For me, the story is about the promotion and the opportunities it brings.'
She did concede though, in an earlier interview, that the repeal of the policy meant that she and her partner 'will be able to go out and have drinks together without worrying.'
'The support we’ve received has been amazing,' Hepner told the paper. 'I wasn’t surprised that people were so accepting, but in some cases it has been even celebratory. It’s like nothing has really changed for us, and yet everything has changed.'
Hepner is a gay activist and co-founded the Military Partners and Families Coalition, which advocates for benefits and military programs for same-sex partners.
Smith is not the first gay general officer but most have disclosed their sexual orientation after their retirement or discharge under 'don't ask, don't tell.'
In May, the U.S. Air Force Academy graduated its first openly gay cadets.
