John Carroll Whitener could have easily avoided being drafted into the Vietnam War. He could have truthfully checked the box marked “yes” on the military form that asked new recruits if they had homosexual tendencies. But doing so would have meant admitting a truth he was not ready to accept and facing the consequences of a future that did not include his family and church.
Instead Whitener volunteered for the Army and spent a year in Phan Rang, Vietnam, where his long hours of boredom and relative social isolation provided plenty of time for self-reflection, and eventually, acceptance. After retiring from the military and his career as a public health official, Whitener wrote a book based on the journals he kept during his deployment, titled “Don’t Ask and I Will Tell: Finding Myself in Vietnam.” (Happy Valley Press/2017).
Host Frank Stasio talks with John Carroll Whitener about his long path to spiritual and emotional peace and the book he hopes can speak to others trying to find their way.
Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
