> Here's a man who serves his country in an outstanding fashion and _then_ is violated and mutilated.

That is very true, but he wasn't violated / mutilated because of his serving the country (and the rest of the world incidentally).

It wasn't to make an example of him. The only reason we even have the spotlight of how inhumane homosexuals were treated in those days is probably because an exceptional thinker also was homosexual.

If not for that it is highly doubtful that there ever would be a way to petition about this with any chance of success.

That's a sad thing, but I suspect it to be the truth.