EDITORIAL: Justice For Gay Veteran

Jan. 10--Sometimes justice is a long time coming -- in this case, nearly 69 years -- but when it arrives, it's sweet.

On Friday, 91-year-old veteran H. Edward Spires of Norwalk learned that the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records had approved his request to have his "undesirable" discharge upgraded to honorable.

This rights a long and painful wrong.

Mr. Spires was discharged in March 1948 after the Air Force learned he was gay, following a "horrific and unbearable" interrogation, he wrote in the lawsuit seeking the upgrade. Since then, he has been denied the benefits available to honorably discharged veterans. Now he will be eligible for the benefits, including a military funeral with honors.

Although the change couldn't possibly dispel all of the bitterness he must have felt during the decades, it has brought him a measure of peace: "I can lift my head again," he said.

Credit goes to those who fought on his behalf, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and the Yale Veterans Legal Services Clinic, which filed the federal lawsuit against the Air Force. David Rosenberg, Mr. Spires' husband and partner of nearly 60 years (who was honorably discharged even though he too was questioned), has supported him and his efforts.

This is a victory for every veteran who was wrongly discharged because of his or her sexuality.

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