As Gen. Pace considers the uproar over his remarks on morality, he might reflect on Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Fidelis Alva, who like his father and grandfather chose to serve in the military. When he enlisted 17 years ago, he lied about his sexual orientation. Sgt. Alva was the first American wounded in the Iraq war, when he stepped on a land mine. President Bush presented him with the Purple Heart. His moral fitness for duty was unquestioned. What's immoral is that Sgt. Alva -- and thousands of other brave members of the armed forces -- had to lie or be silent for the right, the risk and the honor of serving his country.
Last fall, Staff Sgt. Alva decided he wanted to come out and make a difference on the military ban issue. He contacted the Human Rights Campaign, now works for them on this issue, and HRC has been coordinating all of his media and his lobbying efforts. The reason you are hearing about Alva in the Washington Post today - and have heard about him all over the news the past few weeks - is because of his own courage, clearly, but also because of the behind the scenes work of the Human Rights Campaign in making Alva a household name. Not too shabby at all.
