We spoke to Rachel (she/her) in Rochester, NY on June 19, 2026. Rachel served in the US Army from 1980 to 1987 and then again from 1992 until 2022. She was honorably discharged as a Sergeant First Class (E-7). Rachel initially enlisted in her late teens somewhat haphazardly because she “didn’t know what to do,” but she later reenlisted with more intention because she knew that she needed structure in her life. Rachel struggled with alcohol when she was young. Although the military did not provide any meaningful support for addiction, she got sober with the support of her late brother, another queer veteran, and found grounding in her career. 

Rachel was out before joining the Army, and she told us that she went into it somewhat naively. She soon learned that there were official and unofficial punishments for those whose queerness was visible or even suspected. After the military adapted Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, an ex partner outed her to headquarters , and the Army  threatened her with court marshaling. Rachel remembered that her commander harassed her gleefully. “He told me, ‘I got you!… I know you’re gay, just say it. I know you’re a freakin’ dyke.’” Rachel did not engage with the allegations, but her was moved to a different post. The experience shook her to the core because she realized superiors were capable – and willing – to “push at you in hopes of breaking you.” 

Rachel has actively worked to process PTSD from her time in the military. Early in her career, she worked under harrowing pressures as a recruiter, witnessed suicides of fellow soldiers, and was sexually assaulted. She told us that she gained structure and compassion, but, more importantly, she gained an understanding of “what I didn’t want to be.” During her service, she resolved to “make rank, and be that change for the soldiers. That’s a leader.” 

Today Rachel lives as an out lesbian in Rochester, NY with her wife of several decades. She is proud of her queerness, her Puerto Rican heritage, and her advocacy for fellow service people. She has found meaningful healing through art therapy, and she runs Artwork for the Soul, an organization that teaches similar strategies to others.