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Old 12-22-2010, 02:24 PM   #107
Lamplighter
Person who doesn't update the user title
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Bottom lands of the Missoula floods
Posts: 6,402
Here's a nice story to go along with Obama's signing ceremony,
and to finish off this effort.

Quote:
Walker Burttschell, a gay Miami Beach man discharged from the Marines in 2003,
shook Barack Obama's hand moments after the president signed repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell.'

"Great,'' Burttschell said of the moment. "That’s the least I can say. It was overwhelming.
It’s a part of history. To see the president sign it and say it’s done was amazing."

Burttschell, 28, said the White House invited him to the signing this weekend,
after the Senate voted Saturday to repeal 'don't ask, don't tell.' The House voted to repeal last week.
He arrived in Washington on Monday night and the next day attended a House ceremony at the Capitol,
in which Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave him a gold coin with the speaker's seal on one side, her signature on the other.

Tuesday morning, Burttschell attended the signing ceremony with a close friend
-- a gay active-duty Marine major still in the closet.
Burttschell said that immediately after Obama signed the repeal,
the Marine major "grabbed me and dragged me down the aisle."

The closeted Marine reached out to Obama.
"The first person to shake his hand was a Marine who was not out until today.
A powerful statement,'' Burttschell said.
"He introduced me to the president as a Marine and [Obama] said, 'Good fight, Marine!'

Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gayso...#ixzz18sEeeden
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