Barry Winchell Barry Winchell ( August 31 , 1977 – July 6 , 1999 ) was an infantry soldier in the United States Army , whose murder by a fellow soldier , Calvin Glover , became a point of reference in the ongoing debate about the policy known as " Don ' t ask , don ' t tell " , which did not allow U . S . military gays and lesbians to be open about their sexual orientation . Life and murder . A native of Missouri , Winchell enlisted in the Army in 1997 and was transferred in 1998 to Fort Campbell , Kentucky . As a Private First Class , he was assigned to the 2 / 502nd Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division . While stationed there , he received a Dear John letter from his high school sweetheart . Winchell later accompanied his roommate , Spc . Justin Fisher , and other soldiers for an excursion to Nashville ' s downtown bars . In 1999 , Fisher and others took Winchell to a Nashville club , The Connection , which featured transgender performers , where Winchell met a male - to - female transgender showgirl named Calpernia Addams . The two began to date . Fisher began to spread rumors of the relationship at Ft . Campbell . Winchell then became a target of harassment which his superiors did little to stop . The harassment was continuous until the Fourth of July weekend , when Winchell and fellow soldier , Calvin Glover , fought after Winchell accused a boasting Glover of being a fraud . Both were drinking beer throughout the day . Glover was soundly defeated by Winchell , and Fisher harassed Glover about being beaten by " ' a fucking faggot ' like Winchell . " Fisher and Winchell had their own history of physical altercations as roommates in the barracks of Ft . Campbell . Fisher continued to goad Glover . Subsequently , in the early hours of July 5 , 1999 , Glover took a baseball bat from Fisher ' s locker and struck Winchell in the head with it as he slept on a cot outside near the entry to the room Winchell shared with Fisher . Winchell died of massive head injuries on July 6 at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center . Glover was later convicted of Winchell ' s murder . Fisher was convicted of lesser crimes regarding impeding the subsequent criminal investigation , and both were incarcerated at the United States Disciplinary Barracks . The murder charges against Fisher were dropped and Fisher was sentenced in a plea bargain to 12 . 5 years , denied clemency in 2003 , released to a halfway house in August 2006 , and released from custody in October 2006 . Glover is serving a life sentence . Aftermath . Winchell ' s murder led Secretary of Defense William Cohen to order a review of the " Don ' t ask , don ' t tell " ( DADT ) , which some asserted was a significant factor in Winchell ' s harassment and murder . The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network was a prominent critic of how the policy was implemented , and they demanded to know who , in higher ranks , was responsible for the climate on base . Winchell ' s parents , Wally and Patricia Kutteles , continued to press for a re - examination of the " Don ' t ask , don ' t tell " policy . Lieutenant General Timothy Maude , a point man on LGBT issues for the U . S . Army , visited with Patricia Kutteles . Despite campaigning by the Kutteleses and LGBT activist groups , the Commanding General of Fort Campbell at the time of the murder , Major General Robert T . Clark , refused to take responsibility for the purported anti - gay climate at Fort Campbell under his command . In May 2003 , he met with Patricia Kutteles , who opposed his promotion saying : " He doesn ' t have the command authority or responsibility . The promotion would be another obstacle in the way of everything we have tried to do to honor our son . " His promotion to lieutenant general was delayed in October 2002 and May 2003 . After being exonerated , he was nominated and approved for promotion to lieutenant general on December 5 , 2003 . The 2003 film " Soldier ' s Girl " is based on Winchell ' s murder and the events leading up to it . Troy Garity portrayed Winchell . The film received a Peabody Award and numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and sparked renewed debate of the effects of DADT during Clark ' s promotion hearings .