MARINE CHIEF SUPPORTS SEPARATE QUARTERS

US Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway has reiterated his belief that straight troops should not be forced to share quarters with gay personnel should the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on gay and lesbian personnel be repealed.

“I can tell you that an overwhelming majority would like not to be roomed with a person who is openly homosexual,” Conway told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday.

“Some do not object, and perhaps a voluntary basis might be the best way to start without violating anyone’s sense of moral concern or perception on the part of their mates,” he said.

Conway justified why, among the branches of the military, the Marines in particular appear to have been grappling with the issue of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal.

“We recruit a certain type of young American, a pretty macho guy or gal, that is willing to go fight and perhaps die for their country. We are forced to live in close proximity aboard a ship, in the field for long periods of time and that type of thing and we’d just as soon not see it change,” he said.

He added, however, that should the ban be repealed, as promised by President Obama, the Marines would not drag their feet on the matter: “We’ll implement it and move on.”