One August evening, sitting all alone on duty and depressed in a tiny shack that was Camp Devil Dog Battalion Aid Station (BAS), I would've elicited reactions of shock from someone who'd just met me. They'd probably say "...but you just got engaged!" They would be right I'd just gotten engaged to the woman who is now my wife. The previous weekend, I'd told my mother the news. She was worried, we'd know each other 6 months... any mother would be worried if their child called and told them they were getting married after that amount of time should be worried. There was also some words that would hurt more than any physical injury I'd ever sustain... or as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, treated. I was asked what I'd do if hit on by a man; my response being "The same thing you do when you're not interested, Ma. I'll politely turn him down and move on." That was succinctly responded to with "That's not how it works for you people." I then sat through a slightly less brief explanation of how I would be incapable of being faithful because I am a Bisexual Man. I told my mother that her explanation was the most ignorant thing I'd ever heard her say... and politely ended the call. A week later (2 days before my duty), she doubled down on her statements. While I'd been simmering in my own heartache, I'd also come across news stories about Gay-Straight Alliances at the Service Academies. I thought to myself "There's no way there isn't at least one in the Fleet!" My search only took one try to find G.L.A.S.S. I then realized what I was doing: allowing myself to fall in to a deep, dark hole that I'd fallen into many times before, climbing up only to fall back in. At the bottom of that hole were many things I wanted no part of anymore: depression, self-loathing, destructive behavior... a suicide attempt. It was at that moment that I resolved to use my pain as fuel to do good; to be a positive impact for someone who may still be in their hole. That night, I contacted G.L.A.S.S. Great Lakes and 11 months later G.L.A.S.S. of Camp Lejeune is doing things that even I didn't envision that night that now seems so long ago. With the help of some amazing people like Co-Founder Benjamin Becker, G.L.A.S.S. of Camp Lejeune has become a beacon of support. If you're reading this and you're in your deep dark hole of despair... start climbing. You've got friends at the top... and we've got a rope ladder and flashlights.
HN Peete, R.D.
G.L.A.S.S. of Camp Lejeune Co-Founder & President
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