Major conflict: one gay man's life in the don't-ask-don't-tell military
McGowan enlisted in the army in the late 1980s with a secret: he was gay. In the don't-ask-don't-tell world of the Clinton-era army, being gay meant automatic expulsion, so he hid his sexual identity and continued to serve with distinction for ten years. He commanded U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf, eventually rising to the rank of major, but ultimately realized that the army held no future for gay men--even closeted ones.
