Opinion: Marines lead the charge -- on gay rights
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It’s a day to salute the Marines.
‘Semper Fidelis’ -– ‘Always faithful.’ That’s the Marine Corps motto.
Everyone knows the sacrifices they’ve made for America. Everyone knows Marines are tough.
But did you know that Marines are progressive? And that once again the Marines are in the first wave?
As Times staff writer Martha Groves reported Sunday:
Marine Corps recruiters at the San Gabriel Valley Pride event at Pasadena City College on Saturday didn’t care whether the young men who lined up to test their strength were gay or straight. The Marines just wanted to see some pull-ups done properly: Place hands about shoulder width apart, palms facing away; pull upward until chin is over the bar and then slowly return to the hanging position. Repeat until the feet feel like concrete blocks and the biceps like rubber bands about to snap.
That’s right. With the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy a relic of the past, the Marines turned out Saturday looking for a few good men and women -– straight or gay.
You know what else the Marine Corps was doing? It was showing the way on how this country can come together, even on highly contentious issues.
As Groves wrote:
Last December, Gen. James Amos warned that the distraction of repealing the policy could lead to risks for combat units, among other issues. But after President Obama signed the repeal into law, Amos vowed to help lead the effort and said the Marines would do the best job of implementing the change.
So, yes, the Marines didn’t want to go down this road. But when the country said this was how it’s going to be, they didn’t retreat. As Marines always have, they charged.
How does that make you feel, all you politicians who vow to reinstate ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ or undo healthcare reform, or unravel years of environmental regulations?
Not everyone is on board, of course:
Alan Chan, San Gabriel Valley Pride’s secretary, invited military personnel in the Pasadena recruitment office across from the college to set up booths at the event. The Navy, he said, did not have adequate staffing. The Army had previously committed to another event. The Air Force did not respond. And the Marines, who alone expressed interest, nearly had to plead poverty because the branch had exhausted its funds for the fiscal year and did not have $150 for the exhibitor fee. LA/Valley Pride covered the fee, said Executive Director Paul Waters.
Yep. Folks who once had to hide their sexual orientation if they wanted be Marines ponied up the money to help the Marines recruit.
How does that make you feel, all you politicians who can’t reach across the aisle to find common ground?
The world would be a better place if we didn’t need the Marines. But we do.
They guard our freedom in hostile lands.
And now they’re guarding our freedom at home.
Semper Fi.
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-- Paul Whitefield
