Emily got up from the couch and looked down on her husband. Then she asked, ‘Do you believe her?’

Sniffling, Beech asked, ‘What?’

Emily asked, ‘Do you believe her?’

He answered, ‘I don’t know.’

Both of them knew how hard it was for women to get ahead. She had to be twice as strong and more than smart. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, managers, senators. Emily didn’t want to raise her son in a world where a woman could be harrassed because of who she knows or what they are. That’s not the kind of country her husband swore to serve.

Emily asked, ‘Did you send the investigators to her friends house?’

Surprised by his wife, Beech said, ‘No.’

Unsure about this, Emily said, ‘Because nobody would come over to our house at 10:30 in the evening unless their friends were violated because somebody was looking for more ammo to use against them.’

Beech stood up and held his wife’s biceps and said, ‘Honey, I promise you. I had nothing to do with that. I promise you. I didn’t do that.’

Emily started to cry and asked, ‘Then why was she here, Curtis? Why?’

Beech answered, ‘Because somebody else thinks she doesn’t belong in the Army.’

Emily asked through her tears, ‘What about you?’

He asked, ‘What do you mean "what about me"?’

Emily asked, ‘Don’t you believe she belongs in the Army?’

Outright, Beech answered, ‘I don’t know.’

When his answer sunk in, Beech’s wife looked at him with contempt and shock. In all her life, she never thought he would be a prejudistic idiot. When she wiped the tears from her face and got her composure back, Mrs. Beech decided that it was her turn to take the floor.

Mrs. Beech asked, ‘Curtis William Beech. What is the matter with you? This is the 21st century in America for God’s sake! Do you know how hard it is for women to do anything they want? How many women were beaten and ridiculed because they wanted to vote? Some even went so far as to say "It was that time of the month" because of that. People thought they were having an emotional breakdown when they suggested the Equal Rights Amendment which gave women the authority that came with their positions. But why do the decent thing when you can keep ‘em in the kitchen where they belong? Doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, managers, senators. A woman can be any given one of those things. But there are still substantial barriers setup in a Nation where freedom is supposedly complete. You of all people should know about this. And now you don’t want to be shunned so you blend in with the big boys instead of sticking up for the little guys. Did you even stop the think that maybe OUR son could be put into this position? Would you still "not know" if he belonged in the military as a homosexual? That woman is a human being and she has the right to serve her country just as your son does. Try and walk a mile in her shoes and think about what you are saying; you know this is not easy on her. But I never thought in a million years that you would be the one to judge….especially on something as controversial as this! Take the time to put yourself in that position to understand what is going on and how you can fix it. That how you are, so why is this any different?’