Marine Corps Leader “Pleased” With DADT Repeal Process

Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Amos, who once testified against the end of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, said that he is "very pleased" with how repeal has proceeded in the past two months.

Amos, the highest-ranking Marine Corps officer, made the comments in an interview with the Associated Press during a weeklong trip that included stops in Afghanistan. He praised the smooth way U.S. troops across the world have adapted since the policy ended in September.

According to the AP, Amos was not asked about repeal at more than a dozen town hall-style meetings with Marines during his latest trip. Only once, in Bahrain on Sunday, did a Marine ask whether Amos planned to change the policy of allowing local commanders to determine how to handle complaints about negative "homosexual remarks or actions," and Amos said no.

The general supported this absence of concern with an anecdote from the annual ball that celebrated the birth of the Marine Corps earlier this month in Washington, D.C. A female Marine introduced herself and her partner to Amos's wife, Bonnie.

"Bonnie just looked at them and said, 'Happy birthday ball. This is great. Nice to meet you,'" Amos said, according to the AP. "That is happening throughout the Marine Corps."

Prior to repeal, Amos testified before Congress last December and said that allowing gay Marines to serve openly could held "strong potential for disruption at the small unit level," although he said that Marines would uphold any change in the law. He told the AP that his comments back then reflected his duty to express the concerns of Marines in combat roles, where a survey from the time showed that 56% of them viewed repeal negatively.