This book is a first hand account of the events surrounding Steven Deschamps being purged from the Canadian Armed Forces as a gay man in 1982.  He was followed, interrogated, polygraphed and released for no other reason than being gay. 

The book highlights early memories of growing up to a love of flying. Tragedies follows his early life as a young man starts to realize his gay attractions but sets them aside to pursue his passion for the Air Force. 

A military operative tries to recruit him to identify communist sympathizers on campus  in his college days and when the author refuses, he unknowingly is set up by an anonymous letter that will surface when he joins the Regular Force. 

He joins the RCAF, but soon the military police are watching. He is subjected to interrogations, polygraphs and embarrassing interviews and is summarily discharged as “no longer advantageously employable”. He falls into despair, addiction and depression and suffers from PTSD. 

Not long afterwards, he is diagnosed with a terminal illness. As a last act of humanity, he challenges the military by re-enrolling and becomes the first openly gay man to be re-enrolled in Fall of 1992 after a court order. 

He survives a death sentence, and rises in the ranks of the Reserve Force where he pioneers computer systems and flight simulator systems for Air Cadets until his retirement in 2013. He later receives the Canada Pride Citation, and becomes an Honorary Colonel to an Air Force squadron.

His perseverance and contributions to society are recognized by being awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. 

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