Greer Puckett
Greer Puckett ‘75
USNA ’75
I began my service academy career by entering West Point with the class of 1974. It had been a life-long dream, and I looked forward to the opportunity. In November of Plebe year the dream turned into a nightmare, after I committed an honor offense, in which I turned myself in for telling a lie about when I had last shined my shoes. I was forced to resign after an honor court hearing, and I returned to my hometown in Tennessee. My congressman then nominated me to the Naval Academy, where I was appointed with the class of 1975.
The Naval Academy experience was one of great challenge, hard work, and a heavy academic load. Friendships made there have lasted a lifetime. Who I am now, what I do, and how I do it were molded into me at USNA. While there, I learned who I was in more ways than one. This included my sexual orientation. By the end of 2nd Class year, I was going to gay bars in Washington, DC, with friends from town. I managed to keep that part of my life secret, and when I graduated, I attended Surface Warfare Officer School before meeting my first ship.
My Navy career was a short lived one. An enlisted man, who had heard I was gay, turned me in, and I was forced to resign from the Navy in 1978 after serving on USS BORDELON (DD 881) and USS CLEVELAND (LPD 7). Although I received an honorable discharge, the experience was so humiliating it left me scarred for many years. I attended graduate school for a short time followed by employment at Ford Motor Company. By 1980, however, I was with a major defense contractor and have been with them nearly 29 years. During all these years, I’ve been working as an engineer on the POSEIDON and TRIDENT Submarine launcher system, both SSBN and SSGN. As the saying goes, you can take the kid out of the Navy, but you can’t take the Navy out of the kid. For most of those years I was actually working daily on the boats, in locations such as Groton, Connecticut, for 15 years, Holy Loch, Scotland for a year and Bremerton, Washington, for 2 years. I’m presently at the plant in Sunnyvale, California.
Due to the difficulty in obtaining a Secret Clearance required for my job, I came out at work almost immediately after starting with the company. By 1984, as a field engineer, I was selected to be transferred to the American Submarine Base in Holy Loch, Scotland. While there, I went through an interview process with the NIS, and the issue of my orientation came up. Because they rediscovered in this interview that I was gay, they told the company, which immediately transferred me back to the states. I subsequently discovered I had nearly been fired by upper management because of my orientation. Fortunately, my supervisor saved my job by threatening to quit if they terminated me. I still had to work twice as hard to prove myself as a worthy employee again.
Greer Puckett '75
Since my career was so adversely affected because of that event, I could only pray that a supportive atmosphere for LGBT people would ever exist. When my company was acquired by another major defense contractor in 1996, I was hopeful that one day this might happen. Therefore, the most affirming moment in my life occurred when I discovered a supporting organization had formed. I was only happy to be involved with starting a chapter of that employee resource group in Sunnyvale. Since being involved and knowing the company cares, I feel much more confident in my job and in how I relate to people, and I have continued my involvement as vice chairman of the resource group for the sector. Hopefully, someday all LGBT employees in companies everywhere will have these groups, which will support them as mine does.
Greer Puckett '75(R)
with partner Ben
My partner, Ben and I have been together for 28 years. We live in downtown San Jose in a new loft unit full of old paintings, which I collect, language books, which Ben collects, and mementos of years gone by. I’m constantly indulging in my painting collecting hobby by roving through EBay, other auctions and antique shops. I play bridge and Texas Hold-em; Ben and I walk a lot together, and we enjoy the company of our friends. In the last few years I’ve reconnected with many classmates from both West Point and Annapolis. From my West Point days, I have reconnected with my Plebe Summer roommate, who, although he is straight, found me on the USNA Out web site. When we see each other, we laugh about the old days and talk of friends we knew and what we’ve done. From Annapolis days, all of us from 35th Company, both grads and non grads, stay in almost daily contact. With these friends, and because of the USNA Out members, I have reconnected with the past and am on the road to healing and to a better understanding of what it’s like to be a gay graduate of a service academy.
Please feel free to contact Greer here at USNA Out.