Grethe Cammermeyer (in her own words)
Grethe Cammermeyer (in her own words)
I was born in Oslo, Norway in 1942 during
the Nazi occupation. We lived across from Nazi headquarters and my parents used
me in their exploits as they supported the Norwegian underground in resisting
the Nazis. My mother would conceal guns and rifles under my mattress as she
would push me in the baby carriage along the streets of Oslo. She would dart
into an alley and resistance forces would jump out of a doorway, lift up the
mattress and charge off into the night with the weapons. As I grew up and
learned to read, my heroes were those resistance forces and my parents who stood
up to "the bad guys" and were willing to sacrifice their own lives for the
freedom they believed in.
My father was the first Norwegian recipient of the Rockefeller Fellowship in
1946 which enabled us to spend nine months in Boston, Massachusetts. We then
returned to Norway but ultimately immigrated to the United States in 1951 when I
was nine. Learning to speak English, dealing with the humidity of Washington DC,
and constantly cooling my face by putting poison ivy leaves on my eyelids were
traumatic experiences for a young immigrant.
My most memorable times as an adolescent were being invited and later being part
of an all women's fast pitch softball team in Washington DC. For three years I
was the team mascot, playing more as a bench warmer than as a strong-armed right
fielder. At 17 I started college at the University of Maryland. By 1960 I was
old enough to become an American citizen, which was a time of feeling that I now
belonged. By 1961 I had heard about the Army Student Nurse Program and joined
the military as they paid for the duration of my college education and I would
be able to be an Army Nurse when I graduated.
Lt. Cammermeyer went on active duty after graduation in 1963. My first active
duty assignment was basic training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas where I and others
learned to salute, wear the uniform, march, and carry patients on litters
through the desert terrain of Camp Bullis. Later I spent six months at Martin
Army Hospital at Ft. Benning Georgia, then a longer tour in Nuremberg, Germany.
It was here I met and married a fellow soldier. After Germany, my husband and I
were sent to Ft. Lee, Virginia. It was during the buildup for Vietnam. In 1967 I
was sent to the 24th Evacuation Hospital at Long Binh, Vietnam. I was in Vietnam
for 14 month, six months as head nurse of a medical unit and then eight months
as head nurse of the neurosurgical intensive care unit. This was no doubt the
most extraordinary experience any military nurse could have been a part of.
After Vietnam my husband and I settled in Seattle, Washington. I was forced to
leave the military when I became pregnant in 1968 because women were not
permitted to have dependents. In 1972, that regulation was changed and I
returned to the military in the Army Reserves, ultimately achieving the rank of
Colonel in 1987. I completed the Nurse Corps Basic and Advance Course, the
Command and General Staff Course and Combat Casualty Course.
My husband and I divorced after 15 years and having four wonderful sons. There
were problems which I did not understand at the time but which turned out to be
my own identity crisis, as I came to understand that I was a lesbian. The
process of a personal journey of self- discovery was difficult and painful, but
necessary to find the real me.
In 1988, now as Colonel Cammermeyer, I accepted the position of Chief Nurse of
the Washington State National Guard. In 1989, during an interview for top-secret
clearance, to apply for the War College, I told the military "I am a lesbian". I
was separated from the military despite an exemplary military and civilian
professional record. On that same day, 11 June 1992, my attorneys filed suit, on
my behalf, in Federal District Court in Seattle challenging the existing ban on
homosexuals in the military and requesting my reinstatement. We were in and out
of court many times during the ensuing 25 months until Judge Zilly ruled the
policy was unconstitutional and based on prejudice. I was reinstated in the
National Guard in June of 1994 and resumed my previous position as Chief Nurse.
In March 1997, after 31 years of dedicated service to America I was retired with
full military privileges.
My professional nursing career gradually narrowed over the years. After earning
my BS from the University of Maryland in 1963, I worked full time with military
medical-surgical nursing and in-service education. In Vietnam I began working
with neurologically impaired patients, which became the focus of my
specialization for the duration of my clinical and research nursing career.
When I returned military in 1972 it was to the Army Reserves. I also had a
concurrent civilian career in the Veterans Administration Medical Health Care
System. I earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Washington in
1976. I then specialized in neuroscience nursing and epilepsy as the Clinical
Nurse Specialist in Epilepsy for five years at the VA Medical Center in Seattle,
Washington. In 1981 after my divorce I transferred to the VAMC in San Francisco,
California, and was the neuro-oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist for the next
five years. As a result of that work I was the first recipient of the
Administrator's Award for Excellence in Nursing in 1985, out of 34,000
registered nurses in the VA.
In 1986, I returned to Washington state and to American Lake VAMC, in Tacoma
where I was the Clinical Nurse Specialist in Neuroscience and Sleep Research for
ten years. I had completed my Ph.D. at the University of Washington in 1991 and
focused the last years of my clinical practice on the diagnosis and care of
patients with sleep apnea. In 1996, I retired from the VA Health Care System
after 30 years.
My career in nursing and the military has been highlighted by numerous awards
and honors, including the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service (Vietnam), Nurse
of the Year by the Department of Veterans Affairs (1985), and Woman of Power by
the National Organization of Women. I am listed in Who's Who. I was awarded the
Honorary Human Rights Award by the American Nurses Association. In 1995 I was
awarded the Hannah Solomon Award by the Jewish Women's League and was selected
as the 1995 Distinguished Alumna from the University of Washington School of
Nursing.
My autobiography (with Chris Fisher) SERVING IN SILENCE (1994) was recognized by
the National Education Association and was named Outstanding Book on the subject
of human rights in North America. A made-for-television movie of the same name
starring Glenn Close as Colonel Cammermeyer, received three Emmy Awards and the
prestigious Peabody Award.
In 1998, I was asked to serve in a new way, and accepted the challenge of
running for Congress. It was an incredible eye-opening experience being the
Democratic candidate for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District in
Washington. I lost that race to a long-term politician and incumbent by a margin
of 45% to 55%. It made me an advocate for grassroots involvement in the
democratic process and has now given me the opportunity to serve as Chairperson
of the Island County Democrats here in Washington state.
From November 1999 through December 2001, I hosted my own internet radio talk
show every day. Guests and I discussed relevant political, human rights, legal,
health care, gay/lesbian/transgender and other issues. This was a wonderful
experience in open two-way communications, a new freedom which the internet made
possible.
Now will be a time to find the passions and high grade activities focusing on
family, writing and activism.