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Tom Crann
St. Paul, Minn.

Veteran comes out, then is heartened by response

Tyler Bieniek
Tyler Bieniek, who has served with the Army National Guard for the past 16 years and who was deployed in Afghanistan in 2009, photographed Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014 at MPR studios in St. Paul.
Jennifer Simonson / MPR News

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Tyler Bieniek and his husband were legally married in August of 2013. At the time, the Army National Guard captain was out to his fellow members of the Guard, but before that he kept it "close to his chest."

He didn't talk about personal matters with the other servicemen and women. This was difficult, especially when he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010. Two years after the repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell,' he came out to the other Guard members and his commanding officers.

He says he was overwhelmed by the support he received.

This is the sixth in a series of conversations with veterans as part of Minnesota's Veterans' Voices Month. Listen to the first five conversations:

• Veteran Ole Olson on life's fragility
• Rose Bayuk, WWII veteran
• Former Marine Nick Swaggert
• Army National Guard veteran Vanessa Prebish
• Col. Eric Kerska of the Army National Guard