PULLMAN, Wash. — Retired Col. Margarethe (Grethe) Cammermeyer, Ph.D., will give a lecture “Breaking the Silence” at 7 p.m., March 7, at Washington State University’s Compton Union Building Auditorium.
Cammermeyer was separated from the Army in 1992 after admitting she was a lesbian. The distinguished nurse filed a lawsuit challenging the decision, and in 1994, a Seattle judge ruled the policy that banned homosexuals from the military was unconstitutional and she was reinstated. Cammermeyer served for 31 years in the Army, including 14 months as head nurse of two intensive care units in Vietnam.
She wrote a 1994 autobiography, “Serving in Silence,” which won Outstanding Book on the subject of human rights in North America and was recognized by the National Education Association. The book became the basis for a television movie that won three Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.
Cammermeyer’s nursing and military careers have been marked by numerous awards and distinctions, including Nurse of the Year by the Department of Veteran Affairs, Woman of Power by the National Organization of Women and the Honorary Human Rights Award by the American Nurses Association.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Sponsors include the Associated Students of WSU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies Committee; the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Allies Center; ASWSU Lecture and Performance Series Committee; ASWSU Office of Student Programs; and ASWSU Veterans Affairs Committee.
For more information, contact Martin Turney, chairman of the Associated Students of WSU Veterans Affairs Committee, at (509) 335-3789 or mjturney@wsu.edu.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Cammermeyer will be available to speak to media at 4 p.m., March 7, in the GLBA Center in the CUB.
