Thread by @USArmyCMH

PRIDE MONTH SOLDIER PROFILE – MAJOR GENERAL TAMMY SMITH, FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL IN THE U.S. MILITARY
Gen. Smith entered the Army with ordinary aspirations; as a first-generation college student, the U of Oregon’s ROTC program presented a path to a college education.

Upon graduating in 1986, Gen. Smith was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant; although most of her class shipped off to Germany, Gen. Smith was posted in Panama as a platoon leader in a sustainment brigade.

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As Gen. Smith rose up the ranks, she never expected to become a general officer. Her desire was to excel in roles she enjoyed, and her eclectic career path reflects that drive towards personal fulfillment.

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Gen. Smith’s career includes an array experiences as diverse as sustainment, operations, and human capital management; she credits her excellence in these high-level roles to her conciliatory, consensus-driven leadership style.

As she excelled in these positions, Gen. Smith, then a colonel, found herself torn between her duty to the Army and her duty to her family. Army service during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell could be emotionally grueling for soldiers who could not formally acknowledge their partners.

Gen. Smith decided that she would retire from the Army in order to live an open life with her partner Tracey. With her retirement approved, Gen. Smith’s plans were upended by JCOS Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen’s public statements that he believed that DADT should be repealed.

Realizing that the end of DADT was imminent, Gen. Smith reversed her retirement, ensuring the continuation of her career. She married her longtime partner, Tracey, on 31 March 2012, and in May of that year received her promotion orders.

On 10 August 2012, Gen. Smith became the first openly gay general in the U.S. military, receiving her general’s star from her wife at the promotion ceremony. She would go on to receive her second star in 2016, and eventually retired from the Army in 2021.