Vietnam Vet Now a Voice for Transgender Community
Vietnam traumatized a lot of Veterans who served there. Navy Veteran Darla Lannert is no exception.
Spending 117 days on the gunline outside of Quang Tri and taking a destroyer up a river channel to rescue outnumbered Marines under fire created haunting memories that were impossible to escape. When Lannert was discharged in 1973, it was difficult to block out the memories of those experiences.
“I survived Vietnam,” she said. “I felt guilt over that because so many other people didn't survive. I've been back home for 50 years and only now can I sit with my back to the door. And I'm not the only one.”
After returning to Wisconsin, Lannert began building a family with her second wife, Mary, but faced another significant challenge. In 2002, Lannert summoned the courage to come out to her friends and family as transgender. It took years of struggle and self-discovery, but after moving to Madison in 2013 things began to turn around.
“All the help I got in Madison. All the opportunities that were given to me. I don’t know why it happened,” she shared. “I had never spoken in front of a group before, but I was able to talk about the tumultuous times that transgender Veterans go through. I was able to advocate for the services we need at the VA.”
The Madison VA Hospital and Clinics have a robust program aimed at connecting our LGBTQ+ Veterans with the care and support they need. Lannert has benefited greatly from these programs, and she’s motivated to spread the word to other Veterans.
“I have a responsibility to help others. To let them know that anything is possible,” she said. “To be able to sit with Vet friends and be able to talk and tell your story."
The best advice she would give to others is: "Be your own best advocate. Have a passion. Help others pay it forward.”
Today, Lannert is enjoying retirement from UPS. She and her partner, Jaimie, travel the country in their motor coach, having recently left California for Wisconsin with a detour to North Carolina.
“Because of who I am, because I'm a trans person, it doesn't mean the work I did, or the time I served, that you can take that away from me,” she said. “I served with honor and dignity. I'm trans and I'm a proud Veteran of the United States.”
For more information on services, visit LGBTQ+ Veteran Care. For more information about the Madison VA Hospital, visit www.madison.va.gov, www.facebook.com/MadisonVAHospital and subscribe to our newsletters.