Marine Veteran Tells Of Secret He Held Until After His Service Ended

“Heroes” is the term we use to describe those who served in the United States military in war or in peacetime, the men and women who are being honored on Veterans Day. From all parts of the country, patriots of all backgrounds took their oaths to protect and defend the United States of America.

Matthew Litton is such a hero, having served two tours in Iraq, a country peppered with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), alight with firefights, death, helpful “friendlies,” and deadly enemies. U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Litton’s first taste of hostilities was a place called “Ambush Alley” (the Battle of Nasiriyah, March 23 to April 2, 2003).

Embed from Getty Images

The Marines and Iraqi forces fought over bridges that spanned the Euphrates. During his second tour he fought in Iskandariyah, known as the “Triangle of Death,” where carpets of IEDs littered exploded daily, raining death and catastrophic injuries on their victims.

Litton and his fellow Marines shared the dangers, the horror, even the camaraderie, feasting on Meals Ready to Eat (MREs). The Marines were a brotherhood and once sharing combat, the ties of brother hood tightened, he said.

But through all the chaos, despite their closeness, Litton held back one issue that could have destroyed his career. He was, he is gay.

“Being gay in the military was not something that was a big thing because it was the time of the don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy. I could not tell anyone because, if I did, I would have been kick out of the Marines, discharged, no history and had no veterans’ benefits,” Litton said.

It wasn’t until after discharge that he told some friends in the Marines his secret. Many “took it fine,” he said, others did not. He let go of those who rejected him.

Litton is still in touch will his “true” friends, and when they get together to talk about their experiences during wartime, it’s as 19 year hadn’t passed, he said. But he’s also moved on.

Now 38, he lives in the region with his husband, Dave, and their 10-year-old son, Ashton. He works as a technical writer for the Campbell Soup Company.

“My sexuality doesn’t define who I am. I joined the Marines because they were the best of the best. When I thought of fighting, I thought of Marines, and I wanted to fight for my country like my dad, and his dad did before him. I love my country, and I take pride that I fought for my country when it asked me to,” Litton said.