Vernon Berg, III

Vernon Edward (Copy) Berg, III
Vernon Edward (Copy) Berg, III
Birth name	Vernon Edward Berg, III
Nickname	Copy
Born	10 July 1951(1951-07-10) Port Jefferson, New York
Died	27 January 1999(1999-01-27) (aged 47) Manhattan, New York
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1970-1976
Rank	Ensign

Vernon E. “Copy” Berg (born 10 July 1951) was U. S. Naval Academy graduate and artist. He was the first Naval Academy alumnus to actively fight the policies against homosexuality in the services. After Mr. Berg's suit against the Navy, which had given him an other than honorable discharge as an ensign in 1976, the armed forces adopted a policy of generally granting honorable discharges to homosexuals.

Biography

Copy Berg was born in 7 July 1951 in Port Jefferson, New York. He was called Copy because he was so like his father, Commander Vernon E. Berg Jr., a Navy chaplain.^[1] He obtained a Naval & Marine Reserve appointment to U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated with the Class of 1974^[2] with a Bachelors of Science Degree.

Naval Academy

While at the Academy, Copy was known to be prolific at his art which appeared in The Log Magazine, the Art and Printing Club posters, T-Shirts, Beat Army buttons, Christmas dinner programs and as centerfolds of programs. He could be seen dancing across the Stage of Mahan Hall in the Masqueraders' musicals. He is quoted as saying "It's not that a Midshipman can draw, write or sing well, its that a Midshipman can draw, write or sing at all."^[3]

He sang in the Protestant Chapel Choir and Naval Academy Glee Club.

Time in the Fleet

After graduation from the Naval Academy, Berg reported to his first ship the USS Little Rock (CLG-4), the Flagship for the U. S. Navy Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean home ported in Gaeta, Italy.^[4]

Discharge and Trials

As a result of the legal action, his discharge was upgraded to honorable in 1977.^[1]

In 1978, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that Berg and former Technical Sergeant Leonard P. Matlovich of the Air Force had been unfairly discharged, although it did not reinstate them, as both had sought. Berg was discharged after an investigation revealed he was in a gay relationship.^[1]

Life as an artist

After departing the U.S. Navy, he moved to New York and earned a master's degree in design from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He died in Manhattan on Wednesday January 27, 1999.^[1]

67 linear feet (161 boxes) of the Copy Berg Papers are held by the New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Dunlap, David W. (1999). "Obituary". New York Tmes. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/30/nyregion/vernon-berg-3d-47-gay-ensign-whao-fought-navy-on-discharge.html. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
2. ^ US Naval Academy Register of Alumni (2008)
3. ^ Lucky Bag (1974)
4. ^ Gibson, p. 306
5. ^ [New York Public Library {{{2}}}]

Bibliography

• Gibson,E. Lawrence (1978) Get Off My Ship ISBN 0-380-40071-5.
• Shilts, Randy (1994/1997/2005). Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military. ISBN 5-551-97352-2 / ISBN 0-312-34264-0.

See also

• U.S. Naval Academy
• USNA Out
• Sexual orientation and the United States military
• Leonard Matlovich
• Joseph Steffan

Persondata
Name	Berg, Vernon Edward (Copy)
Alternative names	Copy Berg
Short description
Date of birth	10 July 1951
Place of birth	Port Jefferson, New York
Date of death	1999
Place of death	Manhattan, New York