There is a lengthy history of lesbian military service in Australia, although officially, gay men and lesbians could not serve openly until 1992. Many lesbian women who enlisted in previous decades did so because they felt service provided them with a means of making a unique societal contribution and a way of transcending dominant expectations surrounding femininity and domesticity. The concept of loyalty is deeply embedded in the idea of military service – loyalty to other service personnel, the institution itself and to the nation. Yet, the lesbian women who served were forced to negotiate and renegotiate loyalties while being located in an institution that was officially hostile to their sexuality. Some managed to conceal their sexuality for the duration of their service, while others were discharged once it was revealed. Oral history interviews provide a unique means of analysing the emotions surrounding this. Did women internalise the message that they had been disloyal by hiding their sexuality? Did they retrain loyalty to an institution that had disregarded their contribution? How did forcible removal from the military challenge concepts initially felt so powerfully? Does oral history provide a specific means of interrogating otherwise concealed emotions and lived experiences?