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At first glance, you may think me the inveterate bon vivant (which I am) and not the man in camouflage who can command troops and hit a target five hundred yards away with an M16 (which I can do).
Back when I was a skinny, insecure eighteen-year-old, I enlisted in (um, I cheated to pass the physical) the pre-DADT United States Marine Corps. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing joining the toughest branch of our armed forces. I even lied on the enlistment papers about my sexuality. I had to; being gay in the military was illegal. Out was not in.
I wasn't planning on having my private life exposed in this hyper-masculine military world. I got to boot camp burdened by the secret of being gay. Talk about camouflage! Midway through the thirteen weeks of recruit training, the struggle to survive and become a Marine trumped my fear of being found out.
In fact, my platoon was full of wild characters -- including other recruits and drill instructors. Everyone came in with some feeling of being different. I served with guys who had been pre-judged for the color of their skin, for their weight, for their socio-economic status. The battle for acceptance is waged on many fronts.
I wrote this book of Marine Corps boot camp stories to chronicle my mishaps and adventures during my time in service and to celebrate those lean green fighting machine Marines with whom I served. I learned that I can do anything,, with training and dedication. And a sense of humor.
Back when I was a skinny, insecure eighteen-year-old, I enlisted in (um, I cheated to pass the physical) the pre-DADT United States Marine Corps. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing joining the toughest branch of our armed forces. I even lied on the enlistment papers about my sexuality. I had to; being gay in the military was illegal. Out was not in.
I wasn't planning on having my private life exposed in this hyper-masculine military world. I got to boot camp burdened by the secret of being gay. Talk about camouflage! Midway through the thirteen weeks of recruit training, the struggle to survive and become a Marine trumped my fear of being found out.
In fact, my platoon was full of wild characters -- including other recruits and drill instructors. Everyone came in with some feeling of being different. I served with guys who had been pre-judged for the color of their skin, for their weight, for their socio-economic status. The battle for acceptance is waged on many fronts.
I wrote this book of Marine Corps boot camp stories to chronicle my mishaps and adventures during my time in service and to celebrate those lean green fighting machine Marines with whom I served. I learned that I can do anything,, with training and dedication. And a sense of humor.
GREG ON THE JOHN FUGELSANG SHOWPINK MARINE ON NPR
Greg joins mega-watt bright host Krys Boyd on NPR to discuss The Pink Marine. Click here to listen...
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