Miriam Ben-Shalom

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Miriam Ben-Shalom מרים בן שלום‎
Miriam Ben-Shalom in 2018
Born	(1948-05-03) May 3, 1948 (age 76) Waukesha, Wisconsin
Allegiance	Israel (1968–1970) United States of America (1974–1990)
Service / branch	United States Army Reserve Israeli Army
Years of service	1974–1976 1988–1990
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Unit	84th Training Division, 5091st Reception Battalion[1]
Battles / wars	War of Attrition
Other work	Suing for Army reinstatement Founding American Veterans for Equal Rights Protesting against DADT policy Public school teacher

Miriam Ben-Shalom (Hebrew: מרים בן שלום, born May 3, 1948) is an American educator, activist and former Staff Sergeant in the United States Army. After being discharged from the military for homosexuality in 1976, she successfully challenged her discharge in court and returned to military service in 1987—the first openly gay person to be reinstated after being discharged under the military's policy excluding homosexuals from military service. She served until 1990 when the Army succeeded in terminating her service after prolonged judicial proceedings.