[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15628]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF DONALD FRAZIER MacIVER, JR., CHAMPION OF LGBT 
                                VETERANS

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to recognize Donald 
Frazier MacIver, Jr., who has dedicated his life to serving his 
country, his community, and his fellow military service members and 
veterans. Donald's service began as a Senior Medical Specialist Non-
Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army's elite 5th Special Forces Group. 
In Vietnam, Donald showed the depth of his commitment to service by 
participating in extraordinarily hazardous missions behind enemy lines 
as a member of the covert Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies 
and Observations Group (MACV-SOG). His military decorations include the 
Bronze Star Medal.
  In the last fifty years, Donald has worked tirelessly to advance the 
dignity and equal treatment of GLB service members and veterans. In 
1993, Donald was arrested at the White House for his nonviolent civil 
disobedience in protest of the implementation of the U.S. military's 
discriminatory ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy. Donald has also served 
as a volunteer consultant on proper treatment and dignity for those 
living with HIV and AIDS. His contributions to the HIV/AIDS community 
include time as the Chair of the Community Advisory Board of the New 
York University Medical School, NYU Langone Medical Center, and 
Bellevue Hospital Center HIV/Hepatitis/Infectious Diseases Research 
Networks, and volunteer consultancy to the U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs (VA) Office of Public Health/Clinical Public Health. In 2011, 
Donald was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the VA Office of 
Public Health/Clinical Public Health for his ``dedicated service and 
commitment to improving the care provided to our nation's veterans.''
  As president of the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual (GLB) Veterans of 
Greater New York, Donald's leadership inspired GLB veterans who were 
discharged from the military for ``homosexual conduct'' to demand the 
respect and honor due for their faithful service. When unforeseen 
circumstances forced the closing of the GLB Veterans' office in January 
2014, Donald went once again to action. Concerned that decades of 
activism and records of the discriminatory treatment of GLB veterans 
would be lost to history, Donald selflessly volunteered hours of his 
expertise to a coalition dedicated to preserving the GLB Veterans' 
archives. In March 2014, Donald singlehandedly organized, securely 
packaged, and transported sixteen boxes of archived records to a secure 
storage site in Bronx, New York. His continued stewardship of the 
records protects the memory of military veterans who faithfully served 
our country in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere. It is 
impossible to calculate the value of Donald's contributions to GLB 
veterans' recognition and equality in New York City and the United 
States of America.

                          ____________________