On Friday, Feb. 26, CRANE and the Human Rights Campaign will stage a rally and awareness event on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the anti-gay law which prevents openly lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Openly gay veteran Eric Alva, a former U.S. Marine staff sergeant, will be with us and other gay vets and community members for our press conference at 4:30 p.m.
Eric Alva, right, with U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) in a Capitol Hill press conference on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on Feb. 28, 2007.
Alva, 37, a native of San Antonio, was sworn into the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 19 years old after attending community college. He graduated from Southwest High School in 1989.
Alva served in the Marine Corps for 13 years, and was a member of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Marines. At the age of 22, he was deployed to Somalia for Operation Restore Hope. Over the years he was stationed from California to Japan. He was deployed to the Middle East in January of 2003.
On March, 21, 2003, the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom; Marine Staff Sgt. Alva was traveling in Iraq in a convoy to Basra with his battalion - where he was in charge of 11 Marines - when he stepped on a landmine, breaking his right arm and damaging his leg so badly that it needed to be amputated. Alva was awarded a Purple Heart and received a medical discharge from the military.
Alva, the first American wounded in the war in Iraq, has been on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and various TV news shows and has appeared in People magazine and major newspapers.
Alva, is an avid scuba diver and likes to ski as well. Alva graduated from college in May of 2008, with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Currently, he is studying for a master’s degree in social work in San Antonio, where he lives with his partner, Darrell, to continue, he says, to work for social justice.
On Friday, Feb. 26, Alva will join CRANE in raising local awareness on this national issue. Learn more about our event, when CRANE will kick-off our “March on Myrick” campaign.
