CAMP PENDLETON, California (AP) — Marines fighting in Afghanistan will begin undergoing training to prepare for the repeal of the military's ban on openly gay troops, and most will have participated in the mandatory classes before they return home, a senior U.S. Marine general in the country said Thursday.
Maj. Gen. Richard Mills told reporters in a teleconference call from Helmand province that Marines coming off the battlefield will undergo formal classes, discussion groups and “extensive” training to make sure each individual understands the new rules.
It was the first time the Marines Corps has revealed specific details on how it plans to train troops for the repeal of “don't ask don't tell” policy, which will allow gays to serve openly in the U.S. military. The military's smallest branch was the most resistant to the change, according to a Pentagon survey of 400,000 active duty and reservists taken before Congress approved lifting the ban.