Noble - NEW SHOW: Unfit For Service

Episode Date: November 18, 2024

Randy Taylor became a soldier to serve America. But he was forced to live a life plagued by paranoia, secrecy and isolation. For years, Randy hid his true identity while risking his life in the United... States Army. This is his harrowing, untold story.Unfit for Service is an 8-episode series with new episodes publishing Monday mornings. Listen to Unfit for Service now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Unfit for Service is a production of Wavland and Vespucci and is hosted by Eric Marcus.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 There was constant sniping, constant gunfire. I had a lot of adrenaline. I saw what these warlords did. They just didn't shoot somebody and move on. They massacred them. Let me tell you a story about this soldier, this man, Randy Taylor. Randy is a fierce patriot. He's dedicated his life to serving his country as a member of the U.S. Army.
Starting point is 00:00:25 He believes in defending his country and its Constitution with all his heart. He's been living through years of training, so he knows how to think clearly and calmly in life and death situations. So I went to the television and watched the news play in real time, and then we all just prepared as if we were going to war. But Randy Taylor faces another battle for which he's had no training, no support. The worst way you could ever characterize anybody is that they would be gay. This was something that my stepfather
Starting point is 00:00:58 ridiculed about quite often. I just wanted to be left alone. I didn't want the public spectacle of this. The issue is not whether there should be homosexuals in the military. Everyone concedes that there are. The issue is whether men and women who can and have served with real distinction should be excluded from military service solely on the basis of their status. It's a fight that'll leave him isolated. At any moment, he could lose everything.
Starting point is 00:01:32 And that's because throughout his career, the U.S. military is trying to throw out people just like him. It almost felt like it was hunting for sport, outing people just because you could. You're dealing with a population there that is trained to hunt other humans. That was during the peak discharge years of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Military police and senior army leaders looking for gay sol soldiers to apprehend.
Starting point is 00:02:13 I'm Eric Marcus and from Waveland and Vespucci, this is unfit for service. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. Follow unfit for service on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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