oh man
so I found Damnation Alley and might watch it all the way through, but you have to understand a portrayal of nuclear war is real offputting to someone my age.
The charming watch sergeant who's an artist in his free time is Paul Winfield. That's a familiar name so I looked him up and wow, if you know the dude from STII and Terminator it doesn't touch the huge list of stuff he did.
Turns out he was also Gay, his husband went two years before he did and he went in 2004, alav ha shalom.