DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY

I am a retired Navy chief petty officer who was in my 16th year of service when I suffered persecution at the hands of the Navy.

The methods of the Naval Investigative Service interrogator, a man 10 years my junior, would have terrified a 19-year-old. There was a two-way mirror behind his desk, and it was obvious that our conversation was being recorded. The interrogator said the thick file on his desk contained evidence of my activities, and that the Navy didn’t care whether I was gay; it just wanted to help me and send me to a psychiatrist. When that failed to get a reaction, he threatened to expose me to my family.

The inquisition went on for two months, during which time my room was searched and my address list and other personal papers were taken. I held my ground. After four months, I was cleared and reassigned. Six years later I retired.

The medals and photographs of decoration ceremonies honoring my 22 years of naval service are now stored in a box and almost forgotten, but Shilts’ article brought back memories of those dark days.

GORDON F. COSTINE

Los Angeles