We hear from nine veterans who, like all Americans, were asked to do their part. The film takes us back to World War II for a detailed look at the origins of the policy. This film can and should be seen as not only a social commentary against the policy, but also an expression of the human cost behind such discrimination. The intense nation-wide debate resulted in congressional hearings where each member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff voiced supportive opinions of the policy and a reassertion of the policy by President Clinton. In 1993, the United States was debating the discriminatory “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” policy regarding homosexuals in the modern military. However, it is important to place the film into its historical context. The film is based on a book written by historian Allan Bérubé. The 1994 documentary, Coming Out Under Fire, gives voice to the experiences of thousands of gay and lesbian service members who joined the military during World War II, a story that is largely ignored by historians and museums across the country. Liebman and more than 9,000 American service members, however, eventually were given a section-8 ‘blue discharge’ for being homosexual. At the age of 19, Marvin Liebman was drafted into the Special Services, US Army Air Corps during the waning years of World War II.
