Coming Home (8 page)

Mr. B. looked like he wanted to say something but i nst ea d ch an ged his mind b e f o r e saying, "get some rest, son. We'll call if there's a change."
Mike nodded and closed the car door. Mr. B. waited at the curb until Mike was inside the house, like he was a boy, but Mike did notice.
Mike made his way to his bedroom, removing his Kevlar vest as he went. He dropped the vest in his corner chair before taking his gun from its holster and placing it in his night table. The utility belt, that held his other equipment, joined the vest on the chair as he sat heavily and unzipped his military style boots. By the time he peeled off his socks, the true state of his exhaustion kicked in. It took everything he had to drag his ass off the bed and into the bathroom.
Mike turned on the shower before stripping out of his clothes and he tried to ignore his blood encrusted pants as he kicked his uniform into the corner. Mike thought his emotions could not be more wrung out than they already were but he was wrong. Standing under the hot spray from the shower his tears once more overwhelmed him when he saw the pink tinged water swirling down the drain.
I would like to acknowledge and thank MLR Press (www.mlrbooks.com) for compiling the below information on the various support groups.

THE TREVOR PROJECT
The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves lives though its free and confidential helpline, its website and its educational services. If you or a friend are feeling lost or alone call The Trevor Helpline. If you or a friend are feeling lost, alone, confused or in crisis, please call The Trevor Helpline.
You’ll be able to speak confidentially with a trained counselor 24/7.
The Trevor Helpline: 866-488-7386
On the Web:
http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

THE GAY PROJECT
Founded in Violence Project is a organization founded by a

domestic strength, community. The Project supports education, advocacy and direct services.

Understanding that the serious public health issue of domestic violence is not gender specific, we serve men in relationships with men, regardless of how they identify, and stand ready to assist them in navigating through abusive relationships.
Gay Men’s Domestic grassroots, non-profit gay male survivor of

violence and developed through the contributions and participation
Gay Men’s Domestic
victims and survivors
of the

Violence through GMDVP Helpline: 800.832.1901 On the Web:
http://gmdvp.org/

THE GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION/GLAAD EN ESPAÑOL
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
On the Web:
http://www.glaad.org/
GLAAD en español:
http://www.glaad.org/espanol/bienvenido.php

SERVICEMEMBERS NETWORK
Servicemembers Legal nonpartisan, nonprofit, legal services, watchdog and policy organization discrimination against personnel affected by (DADT).The SLDN provides free, confidential legal services to all those impacted by DADT and related discrimination. Since 1993, its in house legal team has responded to more than 9,000 requests for assistance. In Congress, it leads the fight to repeal DADT and replace it with a law that ensures equal treatment for every service member, regardless of sexual orientation. In the courts, it works to challenge the constitutionality of DADT.
SLDN Call: (202) 328-3244
PO Box 65301 or (202) 328-FAIR
Washington DC 20035-5301 e-mail:

dedicated to ending and harassment of military "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" [email protected]
On the Web:
http://sldn.org/

THE GLBT NATIONAL HELP CENTER The GLBT National Help Center is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization that is dedicated to meeting the needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and those questioning their sexual orientation and gender identity. It is an outgrowth of the Gay & Lesbian National Hotline, which began in 1996 and now is a primary program of The GLBT National Help Center. It offers several different programs including two national hotlines that help members of the GLBT community talk about the important issues that they are facing in their lives. It helps end the isolation that many people feel, by providing a safe environment on the phone or via the internet to discuss issues that people can’t talk about anywhere else. The GLBT National Help Center also helps other organizations build the infrastructure they need to provide strong support to our community at the local level.
National Hotline: 1-888-THE-GLNH 1-888-THE-GLNH 1-888-THE-GLNH
4564)
4564)
4564)
246-7743)
On the Web:
http://www.glnh.org/
e-mail: [email protected]