# The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corp's take on DADT repeal **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 26, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882 "2011-06-26T03:06:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/1 "2011-06-26T03:06:23Z")
I’m sure you’re a very good Marine and soldier, Sergeant Major Michael Barrett. I now know you’re a decent man, as well. Way to go. [http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/06/21/straight-talk-from-top-enlisted-marine-on-dont-ask-repeal/](http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/06/21/straight-talk-from-top-enlisted-marine-on-dont-ask-repeal/) > [@Sgt. Maj. Michael Barrett](#): > > “Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution is pretty simple,” he told a group of Marines at a base in South Korea. “It says, ‘Raise an army.’ It says absolutely nothing about race, color, creed, sexual orientation. > > “You all joined for a reason: to serve,” he continued. “To protect our nation, right?” > > “Yes, sergeant major,” Marines replied. > > “How dare we, then, exclude a group of people who want to do the same thing you do right now, something that is honorable and noble?” Sgt. Maj. Barrett continued, raising his voice just a notch. “Right?” ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/2 "2011-06-26T03:14:27Z")
Dammit, I fucked up the apostrophe in the title. Grrr…I hate making that kind of mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/3 "2011-06-26T04:38:37Z")
If you don’t already know: “In the Marine Corps, sergeant major is the ninth and highest enlisted rank, just above first sergeant, and equal in grade to master gunnery sergeant, although the two have different responsibilities. Sergeant major is both a rank and a military billet, and serves as the unit commander’s senior enlisted advisor and to handle matters of discipline and morale among the enlisted Marines.[1] The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is chosen by the Commandant of the Marine Corps to serve as his advisor and as the preeminent and highest ranking enlisted Marine with a protocol equivalency of a three-star lieutenant general.[4]” [Here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Major_of_the_Marine_Corps). A very powerful dude - likely sits in meetings of the Joint Chiefs. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/4 "2011-06-26T04:55:02Z")
Ooh-Rah! ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/5 "2011-06-26T15:01:29Z")
That’s powerful stuff considering the Marines are the service most in opposition of repealing DADT. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/6 "2011-06-26T16:54:08Z")
I love to see this kind of thing coming from the top, in a decisive and committed manner. It’s even better that it comes from the Marines’ top noncom. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/7 "2011-06-26T17:29:41Z")
According to Wiki, his first name is spelled Micheal. > **[Micheal Barrett](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micheal_Barrett)** > > Micheal P. "Mike" Barrett (born April 5, 1963) is a retired United States Marine who served as the 17th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, succeeding Carlton W. Kent on June 9, 2011. As the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Barrett was the highest ranking noncommissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. He was succeeded by Ronald L. Green on February 20, 2015. > Barrett was born on April 5, 1963, and grew up in the Western New York town of Youngstown. He enlisted in the United States ... Good lookin’ bloke. I was going to check out his official bio on the Marine Corps website, but I can’t access the site. I guess the Marine Corps servers caught some gay dudes checking them out, and panicked. ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/8 "2011-06-27T05:09:37Z")
“Get over it,” he said. “We’re magnificent, we’re going to continue to be. … Let’s just move on, treat everybody with firmness, fairness, dignity, compassion and respect. Let’s be Marines.” Pretty great, no nonsense stuff. I salute him. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sergeant-major-of-the-marine-corps-take-on-dadt-repeal/586882/9 "2011-06-27T05:18:27Z")
> [@Quint](#): > > Pretty great, no nonsense stuff. I salute him. I wouldn’t. He works for a living. 😃 That said…much respect, SGM. Fucking well said.