Eric Alva
| Eric Alva | |
|---|---|
 Major General Christopher Cortez (left), commends Staff Sergeant Eric Alva on July 13, 2003, calling him "a credit to the Corps".[1] |
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| Born | April 1, 1971   San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | author, United States Marine activist |
| Website | |
| http://HRC.org | |
Staff Sergeant Eric Fidelis Alva (born April 1, 1971) is the first Marine seriously injured in the Iraq War.[1]
He was in charge of 11 Marines in a supply unit when, on March 21, 2003, he stepped on a land mine, losing his right leg.[2] He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1990 at the age of 19. He is a native of San Antonio, Texas.
Currently he is working with Democratic representative Martin Meehan of Massachusetts and a bipartisan group of representatives to Capitol Hill to reintroduce the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, legislation that would repeal the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding homosexual conduct.[citation needed] Alva also served as the Grand Marshall of the 2008 Chicago Gay and Lesbian Pride parade held on Sunday, June 29, 2008.
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[edit] General Pace controversy
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, General Peter Pace said, "I believe homosexual acts between individuals are immoral."
As a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, Eric Alva said,
| “ | His remarks were insensitive and disrespectful. | ” |
When asked by news interviewer Paula Zahn [2]: "Were you ever attracted to a "soldier" in the field?" Alva replied
| “ | I never took my personal life to work. | ” |
[edit] Quotes
- "I come from a family of servicemen. My dad, Fidelis, is a Vietnam vet. My grandfather, also named Fidelis, was a World War II and Korean War veteran. I was named after them. My middle name is Fidelis. Fidelis means faithful."[2]
- "We're losing probably thousands of men and women that are skilled at certain types of jobs, from air traffic controllers to linguists, because of this broken policy."[3]
- Responding to a question about whether being in the closet adversely affected him: "On a professional level, no, because I knew I had a job to do. On a personal level, in some ways, yes, because it was hard for me to live sometimes knowing that I was alone or that I couldn’t be open about who I wanted to date."[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Thompson, Mark (2007-03-13). "Reexamining 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'". Time magazine. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1598653,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
- ^ a b Vargas, Jose Antonio (February 27, 2007). "Defending His Country, but Not Its 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy". Washington Post: p. C01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/27/AR2007022701589.html.
[edit] External links
- Eric Alva holds a press conference for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell
- Defending His Country, but Not Its 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy
- Out former marine goes to Congress to fight "don't ask, don't tell"
- Wounded, Marine and gay
- Marine Hero Comes Out, Fights Military Gay Ban [dead link]
- HRC: Eric Alva Comes Out Against 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'
- Gay Marine rocks the US military
- Eric Alva at The Huffington Post
- Alva interviewed by Michele Norris
- Paula Zahn interview of Eric Alva in Response to Pace Comments
- Hispanic war veteran honored
