SAN ANTONIO \u2013 The United States has not always applied the principles on which it was founded equally, but over the last 250 years, trailblazers fought to make the nation \u2014 and its military \u2014 more accepting for everyone.<\/p>\n
Retired Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, a San Antonio native, was the first service member seriously wounded in the Iraq War<\/a>. He lost his leg in combat, but years after his return, he chose to take on another battle: repealing Don\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell was a law that literally forced people like myself to go to work every day and lie about who you are,\u201d Alva said.<\/p>\n The policy, enacted in 1993, prohibited discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the military, so long as they were not open about their sexuality, a compromise relaxing previous policies which prohibited non-heterosexual people from serving their country.<\/p>\n Alva chose to come out publicly during a 2007 interview with ABC News to raise awareness on the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cLosing my leg probably made me not just come out of the closet,\u201d Alva said on Good Morning America. \u201cIt made me realize everything that I actually had to speak up for.\u201d<\/p>\n Alva said the announcement shocked many of his fellow Marines, leading to mixed reactions, but those who knew about his sexuality said they were not surprised he was taking up this fight.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Battalion Commander said, \u2018I\u2019m proud of you, Staff Sergeant. I stand with you,\u2019\u201d Alva said. \u201cI think it opened people\u2019s eyes and opened the doors for people to have their own self-reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n Three years later, Alva stood by former U.S. President Barack Obama when he signed a 2010 law allowing lesbian, gay and bisexual people to serve openly in the military.<\/p>\n In the crowd, former Army Sgt. Danny Ingram watched as one of the first service members discharged under the Don\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell policy in 1994.<\/p>\n \u201cThe closest I came to fulfilling my oath to defend the Constitution was coming out while I was serving in the military,\u201d Ingram said. \u201cI saw a policy that was unjust \u2014 that really stood against how I understood the Constitution to be, which tells us that we\u2019re all equal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny policy that undermined trust was detrimental to military service,\u201d Ingram continued, \u201dbecause trust is the glue that holds the military together.\u201d<\/p>\n Ingram said he was discharged after coming out while serving.<\/p>\n \u201cI lost my career \u2014 which was very painful,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it was the closest I came to fulfilling my oath, so I\u2019m proud I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ingram met Alva a few months earlier in Washington while lobbying senators to vote to repeal the policy. The two men got married in 2017 in San Antonio, Alva\u2019s hometown.<\/p>\n The couple said their fight was never about seeking special treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never been about giving us extra or special privileges,\u201d Ingram said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the equal benefits that others have.\u201d<\/p>\n Their advocacy is now recognized at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing that was pretty cool to us \u2014 it was not in the LGBT section of the museum,\u201d Ingram said. \u201cIt was in the military achievements section.\u201d<\/p>\n