'I bleed red, white and blue'

[kweerwolf]

United States Marines Cpl. Jeff Key will be discharged under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy any day now. His discharge no doubt will greatly relieve his superiors, who have seen him on television talking about his homosexuality and his opposition to the war in Iraq.

His discharge will end an 18-month saga that began on March 31, 2004, on CNN’s “Paula Zahn Show.” There, Key came out to fellow service members, military superiors and the rest of the nation. During the broadcast, Zahn invited him to discuss how the abductions and executions of private contractors was affecting morale among military members stationed in Iraq.

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Even though Key is still officially a member of the military serving out his last days at Camp Pendleton, Calif., he has pushed forward with his mission. Last month, he spent several weeks at Camp Casey near President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, assisting Iraq war opponent Cindy Sheehan in her vigil. The protest was dubbed Camp Casey in memory of Sheehan’s son who was killed in the war.

Key, 39, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 220 pounds, served as Sheehan’s unofficial personal bodyguard. Key said he went to help Sheehan because he saw it as his duty as a Marine. He traveled to Camp Casey on a bus with a group of Iraq veterans who are opposed to the war.

http://www.dallasvoice.com/articles/dispArticle.cfm?Article_ID=6566