Marine Leader Urges Excellence, Compassion in DADT Repeal

The top noncommissioned officer of the Marine Corps told troops last week that the U.S. Constitution simply states nothing about barring certain groups from proudly serving in the military, and that includes gays and lesbians.

Sgt. Maj. Michael Barrett addressed several pressing issues with Marines, including the ongoing wars in the Middle East, the new automatic rifles being issued to Marines, and the implementation for repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
Barrett displayed a copy of the Constitution from his pocket last week during his talks with Marines on bases in the Pacific.

"Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution is pretty simple," he said according to The Wall Street Journal. "It says, 'Raise an army.' It says absolutely nothing about race, color, creed, sexual orientation."

He added, "You all joined for a reason: to serve. ... How dare we, then, exclude a group of people who want to do the same thing you do right now, something that is honorable and noble?"

He then urged Marines to treat each other with "firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion, and respect. ... Let's be Marines."