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Obama nominates first openly gay military service chief
President Barack Obama is nominating longtime Pentagon official Eric Fanning to be the Army's new secretary. If confirmed, Fanning, a civilian, would be the nation's first openly gay leader of a military service.
The nomination comes at a time when the Obama administration is working to eliminate barriers to military service based on sexuality or gender. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that allowed homosexuals to serve in the military as long as they hid their sexuality was officially repealed during Obama’s first term. Gays are now allowed to openly serve.
In the meantime, women have been crossing traditional barriers in the military, as well. Two women competed for and earned their Army Ranger tabs this summer for the first time in history. On Friday, the Marines announced they would open armored units to women, but would seek to keep several front-line combat jobs – infantry and artillery -- closed, a senior military official told Fox News.That would buck the trend being followed by the other three military services.
President Barack Obama is nominating longtime Pentagon official Eric Fanning to be the Army's new secretary. If confirmed, Fanning, a civilian, would be the nation's first openly gay leader of a military service.
The nomination comes at a time when the Obama administration is working to eliminate barriers to military service based on sexuality or gender. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that allowed homosexuals to serve in the military as long as they hid their sexuality was officially repealed during Obama’s first term. Gays are now allowed to openly serve.
In the meantime, women have been crossing traditional barriers in the military, as well. Two women competed for and earned their Army Ranger tabs this summer for the first time in history. On Friday, the Marines announced they would open armored units to women, but would seek to keep several front-line combat jobs – infantry and artillery -- closed, a senior military official told Fox News.That would buck the trend being followed by the other three military services.
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