Considering that the rate of STDs, including HIV-AIDS, is astronomical in gay males of normal military age (18-40) -- compared to straight males -- and that the solder or Marine next to you is your blood bank for direct transfer (still used in combat, such as in the Blackhawk Down incident) .... I'm just staggered that no one bothers to even mention this when discussing the issue of gays in the military.The actual rate of HIV infection is roughly 30 times higher among gay males compared to everyone else, and similar rates for all STD's, including syphilis.Doesn't it sink in that there is a REASON that each soldier's blood type is stamped on his dog tags? No, thanks. Combat wounds usually heal, for the most part. What our veterans do NOT need is a bout of AIDS added, for them -- and their family -- to enjoy for the rest of their lives.Basically, this film was just the usual left-wing, feel-good propaganda for people that have no real understanding of the whole issue.I am not impressed. Neither was I surprised when our joke of a national government jammed gays down the Defense Department's throat -- not a bad analogy, actually. Wait until you see what the AIDS budget for the Veterans Administration will expand to in the next five or ten years ....

I saw this last night at a screening which was part of a new queer film fest here in Denver. I was apprehensive, but decided to go based on the first user comment on this site and I'm grateful I did. In addition to the documentary being well above my expectations, the director as well as Jeff Key were there in person for a Q & A. Having them there to field questions enriched the entire experience, especially since the material begs for even more information. At 82 minutes, I could have sat for at least another 20 minutes. If you get a chance to see this on Showtime, definitely check it out. I hope this makes it to video w/ bonus material.

This film is a composite of interviews with Jeff Key, family and friends, home video and a nicely worked in narrative from a presentation of Key's own one man show. The film follows the stage presentation in the theater with stage narration over footage shot in Iraq interspersed with interviews and stills with family, friends and Key, himself. The director does a fine job of presentation given that he is working from Key's thoughtful material. The material flows smoothly and the editing is tight, never lingering too long in any one of its visual forms.About the story: Yes, OK, so he's gay. But this isn't the usual "coming out" story. Key has no ax to grind, no blame to place, and does no whining or posturing. He chronicles his journey of becoming a Marine and beyond openly and without rancor. Key wants to be a Marine based on values that are deep within him and he spends a considerable amount of time discussing them. This is that story, of how he reconciles his heritage, orientation and his family's values and acts with courage and honor. But ultimately he does question and draws his own conclusions; about us as a nation at war, about himself and ultimately through him, the question of how we all should act as Americans in the face of his revelations.This should be required viewing-a perfect civics lesson. It is touching, heartfelt and is a devastating comment on the disconnect between the a citizen's observation of reality on one side and the glossy picture painted with the rhetoric of legislative and executive branches on the other. The fact that Key is dealing with being gay along the way is almost a red herring; his observations ring true on so many levels. I am sure that there are many who should see this film who won't just because the word "gay" appears in the title. And maybe those are the very ones who need to.

As a retired Marine, I watched this film with a jaundiced eye, expecting some kind of whiny apologetic for gays being allowed to serve in the military. I figured it would be a kind of "Michael Moore-ish" blasting of the Marines. But what I saw was a real guy with a desire to serve his country who had the opportunity to serve in a war zone and try his part to do what America was told we were sent to Iraq to do: to bring democracy and freedom to the people there even though he had doubts about the war as a reaction to the 9/11 attack. I listened and watched Jeff Key deal with Iraqis, his fellow Marines and his sexuality in a mature, intelligent way. In the end, he felt compelled to admit his homosexuality and leave the Corps, but nothing I saw in the movie made he think he had done anything but serve his country and the Corps with honor. With interviews of family, friends from his gay life and from the Marines, films of his service in Iraq, and scenes from Key's one man show about his service, this movie ends up presenting, in a non-argumentative way, a persuasive argument for allowing gays to serve openly in the service.