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1st gay kiss in US navy return home tradition
Source: Agencies |
December 23, 2011, Friday
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A NAVY tradition caught up with the repeal of the US military's "don't ask, don't tell" rule on Wednesday when two women sailors became the first to share the coveted "first kiss" on the pier after one of them returned from 80 days at sea.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, from Placerville, California, descended from the USS Oak Hill amphibious landing ship and shared a quick kiss in the rain with her partner, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell of Los Angeles.
Gaeta, 23, wore her Navy dress uniform, while Snell, 22, who is based on the USS Bainbridge, wore a black leather jacket, scarf and blue jeans. The crowd screamed and waved flags around them.
"It's something new, that's for sure," Gaeta told reporters after the kiss. "It's nice to be able to be myself. It's been a long time coming."
For all the historical significance of the kiss, there was little to differentiate it from countless others when a Navy ship pulls into its home port following a deployment. Neither the Navy nor the couple tried to draw attention to what was happening and many onlookers waiting for their loved ones were busy talking among themselves.
David Bauer, the commanding officer of the USS Oak Hill, said that Gaeta and Snell's kiss would largely be a non-event and the crew's reaction upon learning who was selected to have the first kiss was positive.
"It's going to happen and the crew's going to enjoy it. We're going to move on and it won't overshadow the great things this crew has accomplished over the past three months," Bauer said.
The ship returned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story following an 80-day deployment to Central America. The crew of more than 300 participated in exercises involving the militaries of Honduras, Guatemala Colombia and Panama as part of Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station 2012.
Both women are Navy fire controlmen, who maintain and operate weapons systems on ships. They met at training school, where they were roommates, and have been dating for two years, which they said was difficult under "don't ask, don't tell."
"We did have to hide it a lot in the beginning," Snell said. "A lot of people were not always supportive in the beginning, but we can finally be honest about who we are in our relationship."
Navy officials said it was the first time on record a same-sex couple was chosen to kiss first upon a ship's return. Sailors and loved ones bought US$1 raffle tickets for the opportunity.
Gaeta said she bought US$50 of tickets, a figure that she said pales in comparison to numbers that some sailors and their loved ones had bought. The money was used to host a Christmas party for the children of sailors.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, from Placerville, California, descended from the USS Oak Hill amphibious landing ship and shared a quick kiss in the rain with her partner, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell of Los Angeles.
Gaeta, 23, wore her Navy dress uniform, while Snell, 22, who is based on the USS Bainbridge, wore a black leather jacket, scarf and blue jeans. The crowd screamed and waved flags around them.
"It's something new, that's for sure," Gaeta told reporters after the kiss. "It's nice to be able to be myself. It's been a long time coming."
For all the historical significance of the kiss, there was little to differentiate it from countless others when a Navy ship pulls into its home port following a deployment. Neither the Navy nor the couple tried to draw attention to what was happening and many onlookers waiting for their loved ones were busy talking among themselves.
David Bauer, the commanding officer of the USS Oak Hill, said that Gaeta and Snell's kiss would largely be a non-event and the crew's reaction upon learning who was selected to have the first kiss was positive.
"It's going to happen and the crew's going to enjoy it. We're going to move on and it won't overshadow the great things this crew has accomplished over the past three months," Bauer said.
The ship returned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story following an 80-day deployment to Central America. The crew of more than 300 participated in exercises involving the militaries of Honduras, Guatemala Colombia and Panama as part of Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station 2012.
Both women are Navy fire controlmen, who maintain and operate weapons systems on ships. They met at training school, where they were roommates, and have been dating for two years, which they said was difficult under "don't ask, don't tell."
"We did have to hide it a lot in the beginning," Snell said. "A lot of people were not always supportive in the beginning, but we can finally be honest about who we are in our relationship."
Navy officials said it was the first time on record a same-sex couple was chosen to kiss first upon a ship's return. Sailors and loved ones bought US$1 raffle tickets for the opportunity.
Gaeta said she bought US$50 of tickets, a figure that she said pales in comparison to numbers that some sailors and their loved ones had bought. The money was used to host a Christmas party for the children of sailors.
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