Bay Windows
Laura Kiritsy
lkiritsy@baywindows.com

But things changed when she fell for a fellow nurse while stationed in Japan, where she tended to U.S. soldiers wounded in Vietnam. "I realized at that time that I was a lesbian. It was a great feeling. I finally understood what all my feelings were about. It was like a whole new life," Riso recalled. "I used to tell everybody I was made in Japan."

Riso, who received a medical discharge in 1972 and now lives in Bedford, was one of five openly LGBT veterans who shared their experiences in the military with an audience of about 25 in the ornate Abby Room at the Boston Public Library on June 4. Organized by the LGBT Aging Project, the forum was held in conjunction with the annual Boston Pride festivities, the theme of which is "Ask. Tell. Proud to Serve Our Community, Our Country, Our World."