Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:06 PM PDT
Navy
Vet Cory Huston and Marine Avarice Guerrero will remember Southern
California's Camp Pendleton as the spot they became engaged. The
military and history will remember it as the first place a marriage
proposal was popped from one veteran boyfriend to another.
Huston posed the question as Guerrero returned from service in Afghanistan. San Diego's LGBT Weekly was there for the big moment:
...After a
few minutes of emotional holding and kissing, Huston went anxiously
down on one knee; looked up at Guerrero, who was dressed from head to
toe in military fatigues; and produced an engagement ring and the
time-honored phrase, “Will you marry me?”
Huston’s
mild tremble, a result of hours and days of anticipation about this day,
was quickly quieted by the one word every hopeful fiancé wants to hear:
“Yes.”
“I
was blown away,” Guerrero said, staring at the shining ring on his
finger shortly after the proposal. “I was shocked that after all we’d
been through, he would honestly want to spend the rest of his life with
someone like me.” ( source
============
EXCLUSIVE
Balloons, signs, tears, and joy may not be unusual sights on military bases when family and friends await their returning veteran’s safe return home from a long deployment, but a wedding proposal by a boyfriend to his Marine boyfriend is. That’s what happened Tuesday at Camp Pendleton, when San Diego resident, Cory Huston, himself a Navy veteran once assigned to the Marines as a hospital corpsman asked Marine Avarice Guerrero to marry him. It is believed to be the first proposal of marriage and engagement between two gay men – not to mention two war vets – on a US military base. In an exclusive, San Diego LGBT Weekly was there to photograph the historic proposal.
April 24, under a bright Southern California sky at Camp Pendleton’s Camp Del Mar near Oceanside, Calif., a full two hours before his boyfriend’s return from the badlands of Afghanistan, Cory Huston waited nervously. Huston, who was discharged under the former Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, chain smoked as he rehearsed the simple proposal he would deliver when Guerrero would arrive.
He told LGBT Weekly that by popping the question, and assuming Guerrero would say yes, he would not only be changing his and his beau’s lives forever, but also the landscape of marriage among gay servicemembers.
“This is a huge step for me,” Huston said while pacing and scanning the crowd of fellow friends and family members of returning Marines.
Finally, luggage in tow, Guerrero emerged with a smile on his face. Upon seeing Huston, Guerrero dropped his bags; aimed a kiss toward Huston’s lips; and opened his arms to his boyfriends waiting embrace. The time and distance of 10 months’ separation evaporated in a public show of affection that less than a year ago would have been cause for court martial. After a few minutes of emotional holding and kissing, Huston went anxiously down on one knee; looked up at Guerrero, who was dressed from head to toe in military fatigues; and produced an engagement ring and the time-honored phrase, “Will you marry me?”
Huston’s mild tremble, a result of hours and days of anticipation about this day, was quickly quieted by the one word every hopeful fiancĂ© wants to hear: “Yes.”
“I was blown away,” Guerrero said, staring at the shining ring on his finger shortly after the proposal. “I was shocked that after all we’d been through, he would honestly want to spend the rest of his life with someone like me.
============
EXCLUSIVE: Gay Marine says I do on base; a first
Latest Issue, This Week, Top Highlights Thursday, April 26th, 2012
Photos: James Freeman (c) LGBT Weekly
Balloons, signs, tears, and joy may not be unusual sights on military bases when family and friends await their returning veteran’s safe return home from a long deployment, but a wedding proposal by a boyfriend to his Marine boyfriend is. That’s what happened Tuesday at Camp Pendleton, when San Diego resident, Cory Huston, himself a Navy veteran once assigned to the Marines as a hospital corpsman asked Marine Avarice Guerrero to marry him. It is believed to be the first proposal of marriage and engagement between two gay men – not to mention two war vets – on a US military base. In an exclusive, San Diego LGBT Weekly was there to photograph the historic proposal.
April 24, under a bright Southern California sky at Camp Pendleton’s Camp Del Mar near Oceanside, Calif., a full two hours before his boyfriend’s return from the badlands of Afghanistan, Cory Huston waited nervously. Huston, who was discharged under the former Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, chain smoked as he rehearsed the simple proposal he would deliver when Guerrero would arrive.
He told LGBT Weekly that by popping the question, and assuming Guerrero would say yes, he would not only be changing his and his beau’s lives forever, but also the landscape of marriage among gay servicemembers.
“This is a huge step for me,” Huston said while pacing and scanning the crowd of fellow friends and family members of returning Marines.
Finally, luggage in tow, Guerrero emerged with a smile on his face. Upon seeing Huston, Guerrero dropped his bags; aimed a kiss toward Huston’s lips; and opened his arms to his boyfriends waiting embrace. The time and distance of 10 months’ separation evaporated in a public show of affection that less than a year ago would have been cause for court martial. After a few minutes of emotional holding and kissing, Huston went anxiously down on one knee; looked up at Guerrero, who was dressed from head to toe in military fatigues; and produced an engagement ring and the time-honored phrase, “Will you marry me?”
Huston’s mild tremble, a result of hours and days of anticipation about this day, was quickly quieted by the one word every hopeful fiancĂ© wants to hear: “Yes.”
“I was blown away,” Guerrero said, staring at the shining ring on his finger shortly after the proposal. “I was shocked that after all we’d been through, he would honestly want to spend the rest of his life with someone like me.
I wonder what the reaction was from all the other Marines and their families all there to greet the returning military. . . . Hats off to them. . . .that took huttzpah. . .aka BALLS! to do this in full sight of all the others at Camp Pendleton! WoW.
7 comments:
When I lived in DC I had a house three blocks up the street from the Marine Corps Commandant's house. That compound also housed a couple of hundred marines. Every morning as I walked to work the marines would come running by in formation, wearing shorts and tee shirts. The eye candy was always a nice start to the morning. :)
Across the street from the Commandant's house was one of the more popular gay bars in DC. Marines were frequent "visitors" to the bar and more than one came home to view my etchings. This was in the mid to late 70's.
All of which is to say that the marines at Camp Pendleton were probably not all that shocked in this day and age.
Funny you should say it took balls. Yes, in this case it did - two pair, actually. But there will come a time when scenes such as this don't raise an eyebrow. Furthermore, I would say that photo has already speeded up the process quite a bit.
Sweet! On so many levels!
Makes your heart jump and flutter, everytime we see the beginning of
a deserved lifetime of togetherness. I just am uplifted everytime I see Joy. The hope of
all Gays in this country is to be treated equally.
Well, Coopsta, it's about time. . LOLOL. . .Can I watch? ;-)
{The divil made me do it! hehe}
Why the surprise? It's like racial integration--once the brass decided how it would be handled, the orders were issued, and they have to be obeyed. If anyone has problems with that they will keep their mouths shut.
Ho hummmmmmmmmmmmm
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