2 women share 1st kiss at US Navy ship's return
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta, left, kisses her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2011 after Gaeta's ship returned from 80 days at sea. / Brian J. Clark,AP Photo/The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia - A Navy tradition caught up with the repeal of the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" rule on Wednesday when two women sailors became the first to share the coveted "first kiss" on the pier after one of them returned from 80 days at sea.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of Placerville, California, descended from the USS Oak Hill amphibious landing ship and shared a quick kiss in the rain with her partner, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell of Los Angeles.
Gaeta, 23, wore her Navy dress uniform while Snell, 22, wore a black leather jacket, scarf and blue jeans. The crowd screamed and waved flags around them.
"It's something new, that's for sure," Gaeta told reporters after the kiss. "It's nice to be able to be myself. It's been a long time coming."
For the historical significance of the kiss, there was little to differentiate it from countless others when a Navy ship pulls into its home port following a deployment. Neither the Navy nor the couple tried to draw attention to what was happening and many onlookers waiting for their loved ones to come off the ship were busy talking among themselves.
David Bauer, the commanding officer of the USS Oak Hill, said that Gaeta and Snell's kiss would largely be a non-event and the crew's reaction upon learning who was selected to have the first kiss was positive.
"It's going to happen and the crew's going to enjoy it. We're going to move on and it won't overshadow the great things that this crew has accomplished over the past three months," Bauer said.
The ship returned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story following an 80-day deployment to Central America. The crew of more than 300 participated in exercises involving the militaries of Honduras, Guatemala Colombia and Panama as part of Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station 2012.
Both women are Navy fire controlmen, who maintain and operate weapons systems on ships. They met at training school where they were roommates and have been dating for two years, which they said was difficult under "don't ask, don't tell."
"We did have to hide it a lot in the beginning," Snell said. "A lot of people were not always supportive of it in the beginning, but we can finally be honest about who we are in our relationship, so I'm happy."
Navy officials said it was the first time on record that a same-sex couple was chosen to kiss first upon a ship's return. Sailors and their loved ones bought $1 raffle tickets for the opportunity.
Gaeta said she bought $50 of tickets, a figure that she said pales in comparison to amounts that some other sailors and their loved ones had bought. The money was used to host a Christmas party for the children of sailors.
Snell said she believes their experience won't be the last one for gays and lesbians in the military.
"I think that it's something that is going to open a lot of doors, for not just our relationship, but all the other gay and lesbian relationships that are in the military now," she said.
Snell is based on the USS Bainbridge, the guided missile destroyer that helped rescue cargo captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates in 2009.
Below, watch an interview with Gaetta and Snell by the Virginia Pilot
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For the rest of you folks, twisting with reaction to this, look up Baron Frederich Wilhelm von Stuben. A Prussian Officer who took the motley crew that was the Continental Army encamped at Valley Forge - turned them into a fighting force that could, and indeed DID defeat the world's greatest army (at the time). Baron von Stuben was a GAY PRUSSIAN officer who in effect created the modern American Army.
Learn some American History ... and get over yourselves.
My problem is with two lesbians selling $1 tickets to watch them kiss after a 80 day deployment and every one of the other 300+ people on that ships return were overshadowed by this event. THAT is my problem.
As far as your slanderous comment to leave this country......it isnt even worth my effort to respond to it.
Sorry that tickets sold for a lesbian first kiss overcame your welcome home celebration.
A single kiss is just that. Get over it. Times change, societies evolve.
Seems many are just angry about it and experiencing growing pains. Deal with it and suck it up. You aren't boss, and need to accept not everything is going to be as you want it to be. The world and our society has variety, all sorts of people and that's what gives it strength- it's not having that which makes it weak and one sided, brittle, vulnerable.
The US military finally represents the reality of our society at large, the world at large. Throughout history the knee jerk reaction to resist change and stick blindingly to any inflexible mentality has crippled America and held it back. Think about it like a Marine or Navy Seal who requires a wide variety of training to be The Best. They aren't let lose with anger and a gun, they are mature, disciplined, have to face mighty tests and difficulties few can imagine. In the end they come out stronger, tougher, because they are nimble, have multiple skills, think independently within a group, and do not attack their own when under stress. This cannot be said about the flimsy "character" of those who hide behind their keyboards here spouting borderline terrorist, tired, one dimensional comments about US soldiers and their fellow citizens here.
Furthermore those who call these women sick (and other gays) are no different than how Taliban and Al Qaeda accuse all others of being weak morally, too permissive, frauds for not living up to their twisted version of what's morally 'right'. They are a suicidal people who actively attack and terrorize those around them who they deem as lesser/inferior/unholy for not fitting into their own narrow personal, twisted, psychopathic geopolitical and perverted religious view. They are often uneducated, fearful, controlling. Our extremists here think much the same way, they hate anything that appears to be different, progressive or generally not to their personal liking.
Think about the result of such hate. Show me one successful society that thrives, prospers, and is free and happy when such hateful people rule it with narrowly definitions of the cultural norms? Be brave, ask yourself what are the hallmarks of truly free, peaceful societies/cities? In that scenario can you honestly say gays and lesbians are not apart of the social fabric? That they have no value and should not serve in the military and all other governmental positions? That they don't have, need, or deserve respect and at minimum, the right to live free as you do?