Army officer who fought for gay equality in military for her wife and daughter dies in hospice following battle with terminal breast cancer

Officer Charlie Morgan was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer



Had fought so that her wife and their daughter could receive posthumous benefits from military that are standard for heterosexual married couples

An officer and mother who fought tirelessly for equality in the military has died after a battle with breast cancer.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan was a nationally recognized advocate in the effort to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and fought so that her now-wife Karen and their daughter Casey Elena can receive her military benefits.

The New Hampshire resident died in a hospice in Dover on Sunday. She was 48 years old.

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Loss: Charlie Morgan, 48, right, passed away Sunday from breast cancer, leaving behind her wife, Karen, left, and their daughter, Casey Elena, center



Family: Officer Morgan's battle with terminal breast cancer left her afraid that when she was gone, her wife Karen, left, and young daughter Elena, right, would not be recognized by the army

Officer Morgan came out on MSNBC in 2011 on the day that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was repealed.

Service: Charlie Morgan had served in the Army for nearly two decades

Before that time, policy banned openly gay men and women from serving in the military. Under DADT, the Pentagon was required to ignore same-sex marriages, despite them being legal in states like New Hampshire.

Because of that, Karen and Casey Elena are not able to receive federal and Social Security benefits, and are not entitled to survivor’s benefits either.



Officer Morgan fought for LGBT equality during her life, and was a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit in 2011 saying the act violated her constitutional rights.

OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson said in a statement today that Officer Morgan was ‘a courageous fighter for our country, for her family, and for the equality of all who wear the uniform of our nation.’

Ms Robinson added: ‘She made an incredible mark on everyone she met with her integrity, her positive outlook, and her unflinching commitment to righting the wrongs visited upon gay and lesbian military families.’

In 2011, Officer Morgan said that her wife ‘deserves the same benefits as any other spouse,' at the first-ever national convention of gay military personnel on active duty. 'She went through the same stress, fear and concern during my deployment as any other spouse.’

Shortly before that, Morgan came out on national television on the day the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy was repealed.

Coming out: Officer Morgan came out on MSNBC in 2011 the day that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was officially repealed

In February 2012, she visited Capitol Hill to meet with the staff of House Speaker John Boehner to tell her story.

She said her breast cancer was diagnosed in 2008, and she underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.



SERVING FOR 400 YEARS: HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF NATIONAL GUARD The Army National Guard exists in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and report to the state governor in times of need. It is their responsibility to respond to domestic emergencies and are key to providing aid following natural disasters like blizzards, floods, fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes.

They also provide assistance in times of civil unrest.

The National Guard was founded in 1636 in Salem, Massachusetts as a militia, and was renamed in 1916. Source: Army National Guard

Officer Morgan was declared cancer-free in 2010 and was deployed to Kuwait for one year. She returned home to her wife, Karen, and then-four-year-old daughter.



But she also learned that the cancer had returned and was incurable.

In August 2012, the Morgans traveled to Minneapolis to testify before Democratic Party's platform committee in support of the freedom to marry, following a video released by the groups OutServe-SLDN and Freedom to Marry detailing their story.

Officer Morgan led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance at Hassan's inauguration on January 3. Hassan said Morgan's fight for equality will outlive her fight against cancer.

'We can and should honor Charlie's legacy by continuing her fight to ensure that all families are treated equally by the state of New Hampshire and by the federal government,' Hassan said in a statement.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire, said Morgan 'epitomized courage in her military service, her fight for LGBT equality, and her battle with cancer. '

'I would definitely say this last year has been amazing,' Officer Morgan, who served in the New Hampshire National Guard, told ABC News . 'Most of us never felt we’d see this.'



Don't Ask, Don't Tell was a policy that prohibited gay troops from serving openly and forced more than 13,500 service members out of the armed forces.

Serve: Officer Morgan, who served in the New Hampshire National Guard, had to keep her civil union with her wife Karen a secret for more than 14 years

Pride: Unfortunately, the couple's joy with the repeal of DADT was marred with the news that Officer Morgan's cancer had come back and she was told she only had months to live Inspiration: In treatment, she said she's not giving up hope, determined to fight cancer just like she fought for her rights. 'I'm a fighter,' she said

'In 2008, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy to save my life. In 2010 - declared cancer free by my oncologist - I was deployed to Kuwait for one year in support of Operation New Dawn.' she wrote to Speaker John Boehner, pleading with him to fight the laws that kept her from caring for her family.



Unfortunately, the couple's joy with the repeal of DADT was marred with the news that Officer Morgan's cancer had come back and she was told she only had months to live.

'This September, we learned the awful truth that my cancer has returned. It is metastatic and incurable. We don't know how long I have,' she said at the time.



In treatment, she told ABC that she's not giving up hope, determined to fight cancer just like she fought for her rights. 'I’m a fighter,' she said. 'I want to continue to stand up for equality.'

A service has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday at South Church in Portsmouth.

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT NOT EXTENDING CERTAIN HOUSING BENEFITS TO SAME-SEX PARTNERS by Associated Press The Defense Department is not extending some housing benefits to same-sex partners of service members even though it legally could because the complex issue requires more review and has triggered concerns among military leaders, senior Pentagon officials said Monday. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is giving the military services until October 1 to put the changes into effect and provide 22 benefits to same-sex partners A new department memo detailed a number of other benefits that will be extended to same-sex partners, including identification cards that will provide access to commissaries and other services. But Pentagon officials said that while some housing payments and health care benefits can't be included because of federal law, some access to base housing is not specifically prohibited and could be offered in the future. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is giving the military services until October 1 to put the changes into effect and provide 22 benefits to same-sex partners, but he said they should make every effort to get it done by August 31. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Monday also directed the Coast Guard to implement the same extension of benefits as the military. Two senior Pentagon officials explained the changes and the legal arguments behind the decisions on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the issue. In his memo to the military services, Panetta said that housing, burials — such as those at Arlington National Cemetery — and some benefits related to overseas deployments 'present complex legal and policy challenges' but will remain under review.

A key stumbling block is the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing any marriage other than that between a man and a woman. According to a senior legal official, the department cannot extend any benefits that, by law, are limited to 'spouse' because of the DOMA restrictions. Service members get payment allowances for off-base housing, with singles getting a specific amount and married couples getting a bit more. Same-sex couples could not legally receive the higher off-base funding that a married couple could get because of DOMA's marriage definition. But same-sex couples are not legally prohibited from qualifying for on-base housing. Pentagon officials said that issue requires more review because there were some concerns about following the 'spirit of the law' outlined in DOMA.

And they said that service chiefs were concerned about fairness and the reaction of other military members, including the possibility that married couples might be bumped from a housing list by a same-sex couple. A senior Pentagon official said the rough estimate of same-sex couples affected by the new benefits is about 18,000 — 5,600 active duty, 3,400 National Guard and Reserve and 8,000 retirees. Officials said that the numbers were probably high, and that there was no solid survey or assessment that could provide a more accurate total. A number of lawmakers praised the Pentagon's move, but also called for full equality, saying Congress should repeal DOMA. 'The administration is doing what it can within the constraints that are in place, but the job is not done,' said Rep. Adam Smith, ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. 'I look forward to continuing to work with the administration and my colleagues in Congress to achieve full equality in the military.' Others disagreed. 'We are on a slippery slope here. Why would the (Defense Department) extend benefits to same-sex partners and then deny cohabiting heterosexual couples the same benefits,' said Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe, ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

'The Department of Defense is essentially creating a new class of beneficiary that will increase costs and demand for limited resources that are currently available for military families, active and reserve forces, and retirees.' Among the nearly two dozen benefits now available to same-sex partners, the identification card is likely the most important. Officials said the card will look largely the same as the service members' but will have the designation 'DP' — for domestic partner — and will list the types of benefits it allows on the back. Spouses and dependents of service members have similar cards, but those include designations for healthcare benefits. Other benefits now available to same-sex partners and families include family programs, travel on military aircraft when available, child care, legal assistance, and if both are in the military they would be able to request, and be considered for, duty assignments in the same area. Panetta's decision comes as he nears the end of his tenure as Pentagon chief and on the heels of President Barack Obama's broad call for equal rights for gays during his inaugural speech. The repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military took effect in September 2011, and since then the Pentagon has been reviewing policies and procedures to see what military benefits can be opened to same sex partners without violating DOMA. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of DOMA in June, but advocacy groups have argued that there are a number of administrative steps the Pentagon could take to treat same-sex military couples more fairly.

VIDEO Defense Secretary Panetta thanks lesbian and gay service members

Video: Department of Defense

