‘Your Equipment Will Not Fail You’: Two-Star, Exchange Board Member Emphasizes Authenticity for LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Exchange board member Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Tammy Smith
Exchange board member Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Tammy Smith led a candid discussion on inclusion as the Exchange’s People Respecting Individuality, Diversity and Equality (PRIDE) special emphasis group recognized LGBTQ+ Pride Month during a virtual lunch-and-learn June 26.
More than 180 Exchange team members tuned in to hear Smith, who serves as Special Assistant, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower Reserve and Affairs) for Quality of Life, share the wisdom she gained on her journey to becoming the U.S. Army’s first openly gay flag officer.
Smith said that in order to successfully execute their mission, organizations like the Exchange must leverage diversity to create an environment in which everyone feels comfortable enough to be their authentic selves—without any hesitation as to how they will be received.
“When we bring an organization to the intersection of shared values and understanding our differences, that’s when we can be the most powerful,” she said. “That’s the place where we have the least hesitation from our co-workers to step up and do the right thing. That’s when we can move the organization forward at the speed of trust.”
Having joined the Army in 1982—a time when recruits were required to affirm they were not gay before enlisting—Smith is all too familiar with the hesitancy that comes with not being able to be one’s authentic self in the workplace.
“I served for 25 years in an Army that prohibited me from being gay in the military,” she said. “I had to learn how to survive that: How to fit in, how to hide my authenticity in order to serve my country. I lived in fear that a small slip up, one unguarded comment about my real life, would end my Army career. I had honed this expertise about being silent about my life. It was a survival mode.”
In March 2012, just months after the military repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Smith and her partner, Tracey Hepner, were married. Less than a year later, Smith was promoted to Brigadier General. When Hepner replaced one of the shoulder boards on Smith’s uniform at her retirement ceremony—just as countless non-LGBTQ+ spouses had done before her—it made headlines all over the world.
When the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, the Army officially began to recognize same-sex relationships, granting Hepner spouse benefits, including the ability to shop at the Exchange. More importantly, the decision cleared the path for Smith and Hepner to finally move into base housing, an experience Smith said showed her how far things have come for LGBTQ+ Warfighters over her 38-year career.
“Moving to military housing has been one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had in this journey,” she said. “This organization has gone from saying my existence is so horrible that it will disrupt good order and discipline, to neighbors coming by to welcome us to the neighborhood with cookies just like they would anyone else.”
Reflecting on the challenges she has overcome during her career, Smith recalled the words her jumpmaster shared as she prepared to leap out of an airplane during parachute training at the Joint Reserve Training Center, Fort Polk, La.: “Your equipment will not fail you.”
“Your equipment is the foundation of who you are as a person,” she said. “It’s those touchstones we fall back on, your reserve parachute. Some of my equipment is kindness, compassion and humility, which I get from my mother. I like to believe I listen instead of waiting my turn to talk. I like to think I can keep calm under pressure.
“If my equipment can help me through these transitions in my life, I believe your equipment can, too. If you take one thing away from what I’m telling you today, it would be, ‘Jumpers, dress your equipment. It will not fail you.’”
Following Smith’s remarks, Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull, himself an Airborne Soldier, offered his gratitude for the example of selflessness and servant leadership Smith has set for Warfighters and Exchange associates alike.
“As we strive to be more compassionate, loving and forgiving, I hope we’ll be able to not only trust our equipment, but trust each other more, too,” Shull said. “One of our core values is respect everyone, and it’s important to remember that there’s no one we shouldn’t respect or find common ground with. I can’t thank MG Smith enough for reminding us how important it is for us to reflect those values in everything we do to serve those who serve.”
Those who missed the lunch-and-learn can view it here.
