#national guard

Private George H. Ruth of 104th Field Artillery, N.Y. National Guard, May 28, 1924. They wanted to use him for a recruiting poster. At 6'2" he was too big for any ready-made uniform and the Guard had to make a special one for him. Whether he actually served is unknown.

Photo: Library of Congress

Hollywood Guard celebrates milestone with 6-ship formation flight

“We’re here to do our job — so let us”: a trans Army captain on Trump’s ban

On Wednesday, in the span of a few tweets, President Donald Trump declared that he would ban trans military service.

There has been plenty of coverage and commentary about the tweets and what they actually mean in terms of policy (it turns out not much). But I wanted to talk with a trans soldier, someone who is serving right now and who understands this at the ground level.

Jacob Eleazer is a captain in the Kentucky Army National Guard. He has served for more than 11 years, beginning as an enlisted soldier and later earning his commission as an officer. He is currently a member of the 198th Military Police Battalion, where he serves as a senior human resources officer.

He agreed to be interviewed, but made it clear his remarks are his opinions as a private citizen and that he is not speaking for or on behalf of the United States Army or the Army National Guard.

I asked Eleazer, among other things, to tell me what he would say to the president or to the people making policy if he could sit down with them tomorrow.

“I’d say that we are your soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines,” he told me. “We are not a special interest. We have been serving you and this country for decades. We have contributed to this military and this nation as much as anyone else. We’re here to do our job — so let us.”

You can read our full conversation here.