Serving in Silence The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story
November 2006 Reviewed by: Charlotte Meyer Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Margarethe Cammermeyer had 23 years of exemplary service as an Army nurse. She won a Bronze Star in Vietnam, where she commanded a hospital in the combat zone. She had the rank of Colonel when she transferred from the Army to the National Guard in Washington. She had four sons living in Seattle with her ex-husband, and she wanted time with them before they were grown. She applied for a position as nurse in the Guard’s Washington hospital and was quickly promoted to head nurse. Her goal: to make the rank of General as the head nurse of the whole National Guard. But about this same time, she met a woman named Diane, an artist and a lesbian. And the rest, as they say, is history, American military history.

Most homosexuals do not come out of the closet as explosively as Cammermeyer did. Ironically, it was her loyalty to the military that propelled her. Her next step up in rank required a higher security clearance, and in the course of a routine interview, she openly declared herself a lesbian. As an officer, she would not lie. Consequently, Cammermeyer not only didn’t make General but was court marshaled for "immorality," for violating military code. Urged by family and friends to recant her statement, she answered, "I’d rather lose my uniform than my integrity." She had the option of simply resigning from the military to preserve her benefits, but she wouldn’t do that either. Instead, she sued the Army for violating her rights, and she won. In 1994, a Federal Court judge concluded that the military's policy on homosexuals violated the Constitution's equal protection clause. In 1997 Cammermeyer retired with full honors and became a legend in the LGBT community.

It was Barbra Streisand who almost single-handedly brought this story to television in 1995. She used her influence to find backers, a studio, and a cast. Streisand made the inspired choice of Glenn Close for the lead. Close is completely persuasive in the part. She is as pretty as usual, but her walk, her manner, her gestures, her very style are different. She isn’t manly but she isn’t feminine. Judy Davis is her arty, untidy partner. Both won Emmys for their roles.

This movie will not be remembered for its production values or score or direction but for the ethical conviction of the script and the impeccable performance of Glenn Close. The DVD itself will be remembered for one of its three featurettes. "Silent No More: Behind the Scenes of Serving in Silence" won its own Emmy. Streisand, Close, Davis and even Cammermeyer herself are interviewed at length. (Kudos to the makeup and costume departments for getting Glenn Close so near to the original.) The DVD’s audio is clear and the video color is crisp -- a solid, adequate transfer.

It is estimated that today in our military there are at least 65,000 homosexuals who are still serving in silence. It is estimated that one in ten of us is gay. This DVD deserves a place in school libraries so that that 10% of our children might take inspiration and courage from it.

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