As a gay man serving during the Don't Ask, Don't Tell era, Boehme was forced to serve in silence, keeping his sexual orientation a carefully guarded secret.
When the DADT policy was repealed in 2011, 10 years after he enlisted, he finally felt free.
Boehme is now married and serves as the nation's first official advocate and coordinator for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender veterans.
On Sunday, Boehme marked another first in his career: he walked in Seattle's Pride parade in his military uniform--the first openly gay military member to do so in the parade's 43-year history.
