Confessions of a Don't Ask, Don't Tell Soldier: How a Black, Gay Man Survived the Infantry, Coming Out, and the War in Iraq

by Rob Smith

Rob is a young black man coming to terms with his sexuality amid the backdrop of the hyper-masculine, homophobic U.S. Army. After surviving the notoriously brutal Infantry basic training and then finding himself as a young gay man while remaining closeted to all but a few of his colleagues at his first duty station, he finds himself in dangerous territory after the United States declares war on Iraq and his unit is one of the first called in after the initial invasion.

Deftly navigating the intersection of race, sexuality, and public policy, Confessions of a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Soldier is alternately thought-provoking, humorous, and harrowing. Rob's experience offers a ground-level view of life on the front lines of race and sexuality in the United States military in an unforgettable gay coming-of-age story--with a military twist.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2017

Reviews

[Victoria Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 ⭐️

A very well-written and touching book about the military experience of Rob Smith during the "Don't ask, don't tell" era. I found his perspective very interesting, especially on his early time in the army. He reflects (sometimes in the moment, sometimes in hindsight) on his life as a gay and black man in the army and I found his thoughts very informative. The only bad thing was the print format, which was hard to read at times.