What a gay Marine taught me

[n2doc]

By Tom Brannon
December 25, 2010


I am a retired U.S. Marine, having been drafted at the end of the Vietnam War. At one time, I commanded a squadron of 1,200 Marines and sailors. And, like many of my fellow veterans, I believed that the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy worked well, enabling some fine Americans to serve this great nation.

But although I embraced the policy then, I now know that it denied us the service of some highly talented men and women. It continues to cost us even after its repeal. Why the change in my viewpoint? It involves a fabulous Marine, a senior noncommissioned officer who retired early to pursue a long-term relationship openly. Hear my story.

In the Marines, as in the other services, it is an unwritten rule that senior enlisted men and women mentor newly minted officers in the ways of the service, and particularly in the ways of combat.


Soon after I retired, a member of my immediate family joined the Marines, eventually becoming a junior officer, and he was mentored by the NCO who is the focus of my story. One of the most important things he learned from his mentor was how to stay alive "down range." Soon after training, their unit deployed to Iraq, where they faced significant danger. Firefights. House-to-house combat. Everyone came home from that tour.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-brannon-dadt-20101225,0,3160780.story