Marine Command Sergeant Major Blasts Opposition to DADT Repeal

All of the occupants of the PHB 2012 GOP Clown Car who are proponents of restoring DADT take a look at this story in the Wall Street Journal. A top enlisted service member is telling opponents of repeal to get with the program. Now.

Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps Micheal P. Barrett speaks to III Marine Expeditionary Force Marines and Sailors at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan, June 13, 2011. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. J.L. Wright, Jr.) In that respect, Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett, recently selected to be the senior enlisted adviser to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos, fits the bill. Sgt. Maj. Barrett has a long military resume, including combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he doesn't need a microphone to get his point across.

"You all joined for a reason: to serve," he continued. "To protect our nation, right?"

"Yes, sergeant major," Marines replied.

"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?" Sgt. Maj. Barrett continued, raising his voice just a notch. "Right?"

Sgt. Maj. Barrett then described conversations with U.K. troops, who saw a similar ban lifted a decade ago, with little disruption. And to drive the point home, he produced a pocket copy of the Constitution.

"Get over it," he said. "We're magnificent, we're going to continue to be. ... Let's just move on, treat everybody with firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion and respect. Let's be Marines."