Bertram Schaffner on Helping Gay Soldiers during WWII

WWII Veteran Bertram Schaffner, a gay man himself, talks about how he dealt with the military's anti-gay policy while evaluating draftees.

Pentagon Poised to Extend Some Benefits to Partners of Gay Soldiers

THE GUARDIAN: Access to on-base stores and support programs likely to be included, but military cannot violate Defense of Marriage Act

The military is poised to extend some benefits to the same-sex partners of service members, US officials said Tuesday, about 16 months after the Pentagon repealed its ban on openly gay service.

Defense secretary Leon Panetta has not made a final decision on which benefits will be included, the officials said, but the Pentagon is likely to allow same-sex partners to have access to the on-base commissary and other military subsidized stores, as well as some health and welfare programs.

Panetta must walk a fine, legal line. While there has been increased pressure on the Pentagon to extend some benefits to same-sex partners, defense officials must be careful not to violate the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. The federal law forbids the federal government from recognizing any marriage other than those between a man and a woman. » | Associated Press in Washington | Tuesday, February 05, 2013