Marine homecoming kiss

[traderdan]

The real issue in an environment such as the military is the right to privacy in my opinion... Co-Ed showers maybe...

 

[dom1104]

If that's the way you wanna look at it, I wouldn't render aid to you either on the basis that maybe your not a known homo, but a closet one, and since all homos have aids, then I don't wanna touch you.


Ignorant ****ing people, smack the stupid right outta your head. Go crawl in a hole and live your life away from the world

Wow. Strong feelins.

 

[Pocketman]

Well before everybody goes nuts over this picture its a fake. PhotoShop its been on fb its not real.

Please don't tell us this one is also fake.

Good for him, and glad he made it home safe. From the link...

er though!

 

[mrjarrell]

Well before everybody goes nuts over this picture its a fake. PhotoShop its been on fb its not real.

Doesn't appear to be fake in the least. Numerous news agencies have picked it up and there are corroborating pics to back it up. I will assume you have some proof of your assertion that it's fake? Here's a story that has that pic, and others, as well as the Marines backstory.

Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida

 

[griffin]

Not fake.

Local | KHON2 Hawaii's News Leader

Gay Marine and boyfriend in homecoming kiss photo speak out | KHON2 Hawaii's News Leader

A Marines homecoming photo from a Hawaii base has gained worldwide attention -- two men kissing, just months after "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was repealed.

The picture has gone viral from Kaneohe, home of Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Sgt. Brandon Morgan returned Wednesday from a six-month deployment to Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.

There to meet him was his friend of four years, Windward Oahu artist Dalan Wells -- a friendship that had turned to a long-distance love during the deployment. This was their first kiss.

"We couldn't talk, I can barely talk now, his hands went numb, my legs were shaking, our first kiss after just knowing how we felt about each other,” Morgan said.

The arrival had come unexpectedly early. Wells made it to the base ahead of other invited friends.

"I’m so glad I got him a lei, I almost didn't have time,” Wells said. “I stopped at a Safeway, grabbed him just a carnation and pikake lei. One friend finally did make it, Dave Lewis and he's the one who took the photo there. He was able to get to the hangar just in time, because we were too happy to be able to take picture."

A picture they say they never intended to become recognized worldwide in just a few days.

“It's been overwhelming honestly,” Morgan said. “I didn't expect this. We didn't do it for the fame at all.”

It started when Morgan posted the photo to his own Facebook page.

“A friend asked can we post it on the Gay Marines Facebook page,” Wells said, “and we said, oh sure, there's only 1,000 people on that. It wasn't going to be a very big deal, but then everybody started sharing it. So then that turned into 415 shares the first day, then now it's in the thousands, now it's everywhere."

Tens of thousands have “liked” or shared the photo, thousands have commented.

“Most of the responses have been like oh my god I can't believe you're in love, congratulations,” Morgan said. “My mom's happy that I’m finally happy, my parents are ecstatic.”

Most comments so far are supportive and positive, others sharply negative.

“When the photo first hit somebody called my mother and said what did you do to raise your son so wrong?” Morgan said. “What mistakes of a mother did you do to let your son turn out to be homosexual? First of all, nothing -- you're either born this way or you're not. Second, my mom was the greatest mother I could ever ask for, sacrificing everything for my sister and myself, sometimes not even eating to make sure that we had a meal, and to say that to my mother, and to make her cry, I'm glad I didn't know who it was.”

“There are those who are going to take this the wrong way,” Morgan added, “the person who called my mother, I can only hope no one does anything drastic or too crazy but I am not afraid. I lived my whole life in fear, I don't fear them anymore.”

Other comments have in the middle, people saying they don’t mind a welcome-home photo but don't want to see so much public display of affection, gay or straight.

“My friend Sgt. Thomas Stivers, he came home and his picture was in the Hawaii Marine (http://www.mcbh.usmc.mil/news/Feb24A12.pdf) of him kissing his wife and holding his newborn baby that was just born a few days ago,” Morgan said. “His picture is no different than mine. It is a homecoming picture. Gay, straight, lesbian no matter who you are, love is love.”

"That hangar was full of people, and nobody was making any inappropriate comments, nobody was staring,” Wells said. “For the Marine Corps, I was really, really proud that it had come that far. It was just another couple coming home."

Less than a year ago when the “Don't Ask Don't Tell” policy was still in effect, such a kiss in that venue, and a shared photo could have brought severe consequences. Today, the climate is very different.

“All my superiors, my staff sergeants, my gunnery sergeants, my lieutenants, my officers, my captains, they're all very ecstatic and very happy that I had somebody to come home to,” Morgan said. “Again, gay or straight, does not matter.”

A spokesperson for Marine Corps Base Hawaii said in a statement: "It's your typical homecoming photo."

But the public reaction has been anything but typical.

“We were actually cornered in the supermarket this afternoon, like you're the famous guys aren't you? We were at the commissary on base, we were just trying to get milk,” Morgan said.

“Before we even went to bed that night we were like oh look, 50 comments, that's crazy, I never have a photo with 50 comments on it,” Wells said, “and then the next day it went from 50 to 15,000.”

"Everybody says, oh you're a hero," Morgan said. “I'm not a hero. The heroes are the ones that paved the way for me, to allow me to do this. It's people who fought in Congress and who fought to have equal rights who allowed me to even do this. They've always been my heroes. We haven't fought for more rights or better rights than others, we fought for equal rights, and now we have them.”

Though they say the photo wasn’t intended as a message, they say they hope it will inspire or reassure others.

“I’m a very shy, private person,” Wells said, “so the only reason I would even be doing something this crazy (posting the photo publicly) is because of that, and if this saves one kid who says, you know look at this guy, he went and joined the Marine Corps, his life is great, then maybe that will give them the courage to hang on, and make it another day.”

“He's been able to be who he is his whole life, I haven't,” Morgan said. “I've gone through a lot of struggles finding out who I was and what I wanted, that I have the courage to be who I know I was. It does get better, it does get better. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, heroes are made when you make a choice, know this.”

 

[MACHINEGUN]

No PDA allowed in uniform!

Other than that.. I see no problem, other than it being sickening and immorale.. I'm so glad I EAS'd when I did!

 

[Dead Duck]

Whats the big deal.
It's just "The Homecoming Salute". The Navy's been using it for years.















I'm not sure what the laws are on public sword-fighting though.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Not fake.

Local | KHON2 Hawaii's News Leader

Gay Marine and boyfriend in homecoming kiss photo speak out | KHON2 Hawaii's News Leader

A Marines homecoming photo from a Hawaii base has gained worldwide attention -- two men kissing, just months after "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was repealed.

The picture has gone viral from Kaneohe, home of Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Sgt. Brandon Morgan returned Wednesday from a six-month deployment to Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.

There to meet him was his friend of four years, Windward Oahu artist Dalan Wells -- a friendship that had turned to a long-distance love during the deployment. This was their first kiss.

"We couldn't talk, I can barely talk now, his hands went numb, my legs were shaking, our first kiss after just knowing how we felt about each other,” Morgan said.

The arrival had come unexpectedly early. Wells made it to the base ahead of other invited friends.

"I’m so glad I got him a lei, I almost didn't have time,” Wells said. “I stopped at a Safeway, grabbed him just a carnation and pikake lei. One friend finally did make it, Dave Lewis and he's the one who took the photo there. He was able to get to the hangar just in time, because we were too happy to be able to take picture."

A picture they say they never intended to become recognized worldwide in just a few days.

“It's been overwhelming honestly,” Morgan said. “I didn't expect this. We didn't do it for the fame at all.”

It started when Morgan posted the photo to his own Facebook page.

“A friend asked can we post it on the Gay Marines Facebook page,” Wells said, “and we said, oh sure, there's only 1,000 people on that. It wasn't going to be a very big deal, but then everybody started sharing it. So then that turned into 415 shares the first day, then now it's in the thousands, now it's everywhere."

Tens of thousands have “liked” or shared the photo, thousands have commented.

“Most of the responses have been like oh my god I can't believe you're in love, congratulations,” Morgan said. “My mom's happy that I’m finally happy, my parents are ecstatic.”

Most comments so far are supportive and positive, others sharply negative.

“When the photo first hit somebody called my mother and said what did you do to raise your son so wrong?” Morgan said. “What mistakes of a mother did you do to let your son turn out to be homosexual? First of all, nothing -- you're either born this way or you're not. Second, my mom was the greatest mother I could ever ask for, sacrificing everything for my sister and myself, sometimes not even eating to make sure that we had a meal, and to say that to my mother, and to make her cry, I'm glad I didn't know who it was.”

“There are those who are going to take this the wrong way,” Morgan added, “the person who called my mother, I can only hope no one does anything drastic or too crazy but I am not afraid. I lived my whole life in fear, I don't fear them anymore.”

Other comments have in the middle, people saying they don’t mind a welcome-home photo but don't want to see so much public display of affection, gay or straight.

“My friend Sgt. Thomas Stivers, he came home and his picture was in the Hawaii Marine (http://www.mcbh.usmc.mil/news/Feb24A12.pdf) of him kissing his wife and holding his newborn baby that was just born a few days ago,” Morgan said. “His picture is no different than mine. It is a homecoming picture. Gay, straight, lesbian no matter who you are, love is love.”

"That hangar was full of people, and nobody was making any inappropriate comments, nobody was staring,” Wells said. “For the Marine Corps, I was really, really proud that it had come that far. It was just another couple coming home."

Less than a year ago when the “Don't Ask Don't Tell” policy was still in effect, such a kiss in that venue, and a shared photo could have brought severe consequences. Today, the climate is very different.

“All my superiors, my staff sergeants, my gunnery sergeants, my lieutenants, my officers, my captains, they're all very ecstatic and very happy that I had somebody to come home to,” Morgan said. “Again, gay or straight, does not matter.”

A spokesperson for Marine Corps Base Hawaii said in a statement: "It's your typical homecoming photo."

But the public reaction has been anything but typical.

“We were actually cornered in the supermarket this afternoon, like you're the famous guys aren't you? We were at the commissary on base, we were just trying to get milk,” Morgan said.

“Before we even went to bed that night we were like oh look, 50 comments, that's crazy, I never have a photo with 50 comments on it,” Wells said, “and then the next day it went from 50 to 15,000.”

"Everybody says, oh you're a hero," Morgan said. “I'm not a hero. The heroes are the ones that paved the way for me, to allow me to do this. It's people who fought in Congress and who fought to have equal rights who allowed me to even do this. They've always been my heroes. We haven't fought for more rights or better rights than others, we fought for equal rights, and now we have them.”

Though they say the photo wasn’t intended as a message, they say they hope it will inspire or reassure others.

“I’m a very shy, private person,” Wells said, “so the only reason I would even be doing something this crazy (posting the photo publicly) is because of that, and if this saves one kid who says, you know look at this guy, he went and joined the Marine Corps, his life is great, then maybe that will give them the courage to hang on, and make it another day.”

“He's been able to be who he is his whole life, I haven't,” Morgan said. “I've gone through a lot of struggles finding out who I was and what I wanted, that I have the courage to be who I know I was. It does get better, it does get better. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, heroes are made when you make a choice, know this.”

 

[MACHINEGUN]

he is a brother in arms

He's also a "Brother" in kisses.. you left that one out!

 

[jdhaines]

I honestly thought this one was going to skip by without much controversy...I was going to be very proud of you INGO...

 

[level.eleven]

This issue came up from time to time when I was in the Army, and mostly it came down to this:

If that guy was injured and bleeding all over the place, there would be no way I'd risk coming into contact with his blood to render first aid. Same with CPR. He better be able to get himself breathing, because I'm not coming into contact with his saliva.

How many if you would jump right in and get covered in a known homo's blood, with no protective medical gear, to render first aid?

Now tell me that doesn' t hurt readiness.

[facepalm.jpg]

 

[PINski1015]

What does it matter? Two people having a PDA should'nt cause such a **** storm.

Show me how this effects my life.

 

[printcraft]

I honestly thought this one was going to skip by without much controversy...I was going to be very proud of you INGO...

Meh........ people here are from a very wide array of backgrounds..... You'll get +'s and -'s everywhere you go.

That's just society.

 

[hornadylnl]

This issue came up from time to time when I was in the Army, and mostly it came down to this:

If that guy was injured and bleeding all over the place, there would be no way I'd risk coming into contact with his blood to render first aid. Same with CPR. He better be able to get himself breathing, because I'm not coming into contact with his saliva.

How many if you would jump right in and get covered in a known homo's blood, with no protective medical gear, to render first aid?

Now tell me that doesn' t hurt readiness.

I suppose rendering aid to a known homosexual is more dangerous than rendering aid to a known male whore who's nailed every barracks rat and bar skank he could. Or the soldiers overseas who frequent prostitutes.

 

[doglb]

Semper Fi...
Nice to see Marines coming home to loved ones vs coming home in a box!
You live your life the way you want, Im not the one who will judge you, you watch our backs, protect our country...your service is appreciated more than you can believe...all I ask is that we support our troops for their hardships, and for what they do...

 

[strahd71]

if the picture is true, he has served to allow himself and everyone else the right to kiss who ever they want. but its still disgusting.

jake

 

[Mosinowner]

Based on my beliefs I see stuff wrong with that picture, but you also have to remember this is a free country. He served out country. Glad he is home safe

 

[Birds Away]

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

God Bless them and Keep them.

 

[Dead Duck]

 

[jsharmon7]

I have no moral opinion of this one way or another. I don't think there is anything immoral about being a homosexual. The thought of kissing another guy does not appeal to me at all, so I'd rather not see it. Seeing certain couples making out is also not appealing though. Anyway, he fought for his country and he ought to have the right to kiss whomever he chooses, so I'm glad he's home.