NEW VIDEO FROM LGBT WEEKLY MEDIA PARTNER, CNN
Balloons, signs, tears, and joy may not be unusual sights on military bases when family and friends await their returning veteran’s safe return home from a long deployment, but a wedding proposal by a boyfriend to his Marine boyfriend is. That’s what happened Tuesday at Camp Pendleton, when San Diego resident, Cory Huston, himself a Navy veteran once assigned to the Marines as a hospital corpsman asked Marine Avarice Guerrero to marry him. It is believed to be the first proposal of marriage and engagement between two gay men – not to mention two war vets – on a US military base. In an exclusive, San Diego LGBT Weekly was there to photograph the historic proposal.
April 24, under a bright Southern California sky at Camp Pendleton’s Camp Del Mar near Oceanside, Calif., a full two hours before his boyfriend’s return from the badlands of Afghanistan, Cory Huston waited nervously. Huston, who was discharged under the former Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, chain smoked as he rehearsed the simple proposal he would deliver when Guerrero would arrive.
He told LGBT Weekly that by popping the question, and assuming Guerrero would say yes, he would not only be changing his and his beau’s lives forever, but also the landscape of marriage among gay servicemembers.
“This is a huge step for me,” Huston said while pacing and scanning the crowd of fellow friends and family members of returning Marines.
Finally, luggage in tow, Guerrero emerged with a smile on his face. Upon seeing Huston, Guerrero dropped his bags; aimed a kiss toward Huston’s lips; and opened his arms to his boyfriends waiting embrace. The time and distance of 10 months’ separation evaporated in a public show of affection that less than a year ago would have been cause for court martial. After a few minutes of emotional holding and kissing, Huston went anxiously down on one knee; looked up at Guerrero, who was dressed from head to toe in military fatigues; and produced an engagement ring and the time-honored phrase, “Will you marry me?”
Huston’s mild tremble, a result of hours and days of anticipation about this day, was quickly quieted by the one word every hopeful fiancé wants to hear: “Yes.”
“I was blown away,” Guerrero said, staring at the shining ring on his finger shortly after the proposal. “I was shocked that after all we’d been through, he would honestly want to spend the rest of his life with someone like me.”
Update: Watch the April 29 CNN follow-up to LGBT Weekly‘s breaking coverage of Huston and Guerrero’s story below:
So freaking sweet! Love it!
Thank you for your service. Remember, as you get your time in the spotlight, you time respresenting us all is just beginning. Be TRUE to yourself first and follow with absolute honesty to each other. Whatever you hide from each other WILL be the thing that can destroy you. You represent all our hopes now. The very best to you. Don’t fuck it up! Sempre Fi.
Congratulations Averice and Cory!!! This is an other huge act of bravery!!! Many years of love and happiness to you both!! Thank you for serving our country and for being who you are.
Teri
PS. I just married Heather in Kauai 3/31- was a great place to make the lifetime commitment!!
I wish them the best of luck. this day and age still that took serious courage, Houston for having the courage to propose and Guerrero for saying yes in public. That spells LOVE right there. And I hope they have many happy years together.
Congratulations you guys! Many years of happines.
Made me cry ! I wish you both all happiness for the future 🙂
How sweet. Many happy years. The times they are a changin’.
Thank you for all your comments and we will stay true to ourselves. We are completely honest and open about everything. We have strong communication, we wouldn’t have made it through his deployment if we didn’t. But we both appreciate everyones comments and all the shares on Facebook.
Please keep between you in great good relationship and in true love. Many gay people are not great in relationship, cheat on another, relationship wont last longer, and many more.
For you, I really hope that you guys will remain faithful, honest in God’s eyes and in love for the rest of your lives into old age.
Congrats you guys!!!! That is so awesome!
Mazel tov!
That is awesome! I remember when I was in the military and DADT was in place. How many friends that loyally served their country being discharged. It was a disgrace. Thank you President Obama for making this beautiful event possible!
Thank God humanity seems to be evolving to where unabashed love such as this is becoming more and more accepted with each passing day. Cory & Averice: all the happiness in this world to you both. And to all the haters who get off on hanging on to your prejudices: Get some brains & grow the hell UP.
Wishing you a long and happy life together!
Don’t let the press drive you crazy.
Hugs!
Congratulations gentlemen! I wish you many years of happiness and love. You are both men of character and honor.
so adorable! thanks for sharing.
Good for you two for blazing a trail!! Many years of happiness to you both!!
Beautiful …. Thank you for your service.
That is a great story! I do however need to point out that the writer got the title wrong. He did not say “I do” on base, he said “yes”. I was under the impression that they had a wedding on base.
So proud of you guys!
Many of us vets (that got out under DADT), are beaming at the progress being made, and what our lives would have been like had we been able to serve openly.
Congratulations! And thank-you for making my day by being able to share in such good news. May you know the blessings of a long, long life of happiness together. Thank-you for making it better for so many. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Congratulations to the happy couple!
May you have many happy years together. I’d love to dance at your wedding. 🙂
My husband Robert and I wish you all the happiness in the world!!!
I love this!
So sweet! I wish you many years of joy and happiness together.
So amazing to live in a world where this is now accepted! Can’t wait to see even more progress.
Wonderful news guys. Congratulations to you both. Wishing you a long and happy life together from England
Congratulations and I wish you all the best!
Congratulations and thank you for keeping this country free and strong. Next step is getting married on a military base or getting married by the President at the White House!!
Congrats on embarrassing all vets. After consummating your nuptials on your wedding night maybe name your first little turd after your Pres.
The only people who might be embarrassed are people who are to ignorant to actually understand that the Constitution of the United States of America applies equally to ALL of its citizens.
It also implies that no citizen has and super citizenship right that would give him or her the power to change that equality.
Really? Does your ass*ole get jealous of the amount of *hit that comes out of it? As a gay Vet of Desert Storm and Bosnia, I am very proud of these guys, and very proud to be a Vet. If you are embarassed about something this beautiful, maybe its time you take a long look in the mirror to see in yourself what is really embarrassing you.
“Does your ass*hole get jealous of the amount of *hit that is coming out of your mouth?”
I hope you have all you hope for and are as happy as I want to be some day. This is very special and you both deserve happiness.
Congratulations Cory and Avarice on your engagement. This is an amazing step forward for gay Marines into the future. My husband and I have been together for eight (8) years, and although he was not in the military, I served our country for 21 years, in the United States Marine Corps. I was still under all of the DADT and other rules, so everything had to be hidden, but I am very glad to see now that you and yours can be open and loving. I feel I am strong, but yes, your story almost made me cry as well. Once again, “CONGRATULATIONS”!
RAY, DENVER.
So touched… This is so romantic… I wish you all the best and you make me believe that everything is possible when truly love somebody… Congratulations!!!!
Soooooo friggin’ awesome!!!!!
History has been made! May the ties that bind sever and the ties that support take hold over us all! Good luck to the both of you!
BOO YAH Gentlemen!!! Semper Fi!!!
Yay they’re so cute!!!
CONGRATULATIONS YOU TWO!!!!!! My husband and I sincerely wish you many, many, many years of happily married life together!!!! Love and Hugs to you both, Gary & Anthony
Trust the Marines to be the first on the beach. Congratulations, guys, and many happy returns!
AMAZING!! Congratulations! I wish you two all the happiness in the world!!
Awesome! Thank you Pres. Obama!
Congratulations! I loved reading this sweet and touching story. I never thought I was see this in my lifetime!
My partner and I wish you all best in life!
GOD BLESS!!! May your days and nights be filled with love and affection. You are Heroes 🙂
Just want to join all the other voices wishing you both all the joy and happiness in the world. Congratulations!!
Congrats from New Jersey! I have two sons, I hope they are as happy as you both one day.
Bravo, congratulations, thank you for your service, and here’s best wishes for a long and happy life together!
Hold on!
The sky has not fallen. Where are all the plages? The military is still intact and doing it’s duty? WTF?
What is this world coming to?
Congrats! Congrats! CONGRATS!!!! I wish you ALL the very best!! Love to the both of you!!!
Congrats to you both! My husband and I recently married, after being together 13 years and life feels complete. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness!!
Congratulations! So happy for you both. Thank you for your service – and for sharing your love story!
Congratulations to the two of you. Thank you for what you have done for our country! I wish you all happiness
This is fantastic and exciting. I wish both of them all the best. It is just a shame that the repeal of DADT didn’t come years ago I would have loved to propose to my boyfriend when I was in the Navy.
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Congratulations! I wish you all the love and happiness in the world. As a spouse of a Marine I want to thank you for your loyal service and dedication to the Corps and our Country and for fighting for our freedom. We hope you have a long happy loving life together. Ooh Rah! Yay!
Bravo to two heroes! All men can be heroes. All men can be husbands. End marriage discrimination: http://on.fb.me/vH8Xaf
Cory and Avarice… I cannot begin to express how proud I am of the two of you and how happy I am that you have weathered storms that would have torn so many other couples to shreds. I am so honored to be your friend and I am so blessed to have the two of you in my life. This story literally brought tears to my eyes; I only wish I could have been there to see it all unfold in person. I’m so elated for you, and I love you both more than words could ever say. Thank you both for your service to our country… for the gift of your friendship… and for being such a hopeful inspiration for so many. May you have an amazingly love-filled eternity together. <3
love it! Congrats!
This is so romantic!
My congratuilations too… Marriage is not just about legal benefits (the majority still denied under doma)
its about repsect for another part of the oppressed minorities in our country. the country that was second to last to end slavery in the west and the only one to need a war to do it.
I can just hear the hate groups like FRC eg Tony Perkins of the FRC freaking out, like he did when dADT was repealed (“today is a tragic day for our armed forces…………..)
Its so nice to know someone who was a lobbyiest in the LA legislature when Perkinds was a legislator there. He was also a pal of David Duke, a Kluxer.
Spriggs – no 2 at the FRC – same thing., but almost all of the dozens of gay men I’ve shown their pix to (see google pix) say their gaydar goes off like a nuke.
Same kind of people as in the following link. (PS George rekers was the founder of the FRC, and was head of the fix gays group narth – not that it worked very well on him…………………
http://www.ranker.com/list/top-10-anti-gay-activists-caught-being-gay/joanne
Congratulations Cory and Avarice! I’m so glad DADT was repealed. Thank you so much for your service.
With much love,
Naomi
My husband Keith, and I, wish the both of you many years of happiness and joy! God bless the both of you!!!
Reading this made me smile. I wish you two the best, you make a lovely couple.
I send my congratulations. I wish you the best and that your career will continue, and that your lives together will prosper more than you could ever imagine. I’m a NAVY vet, deserd storm/shield. Best wish to you again.
Your Friend.
Ohhhhhh! That was so sweet! Congratulations, u guys!
Melissa (Sister of 3 Marine Bro.’s).
Congratulations on finding the person whose heart beats with yours!
Love and happiness from,
Helen and Jean from NW Massachusetts!
ewwww how sickening!
Clementine,
Why on earth would you find this sickning. I guess you have never been in love. Why are you on this sight anyway. Are you a wana be or just jealous that it’s not you. Hopefuly your day will come and then maybe you will understand what true love is all about. Our lives are no differant than yours.
Please do yourself a favor and find someone you can love for the rest of your life!!!
I am very happy for them.Best Wishes.
Congratulations to you both. You have been through a lot together and I wish you both all the happiness you deserve!
I am so very happy for you two! i do not know either of you personally, but want to send my thanks and well wishes…you may recognize my last name, though. I lost my husband Cpl. Eric Torbert, in afghanistan last year on the same day as “dont ask don’t tell” was struck down, and while I am very proud of DADT’s repeal, I do worry for all the families of gay service members’ receiving the same benefits and support that I was lucky enough to have from the USMC as a spouse. My heart goes out to both of you, having already been through one deployment with my late husband, I know how hard it can be! Again, my first thoughts when I heard of the repeal were hope for the husbands and wives’ being able to take advantage for all the great benefits and support that us opposite-sexed spouses enjoyed. best of luck, you are both very adorable, congratulations on this historic landmark
Congrats to the couple!!! Thank you both for your service!
Aww i wanna cry how sweet!!!!!!
That’s enough to gag a maggot!
CHEERS!! LETS CELEBRATE =)
Really great!!, The most appropriate word for this, I’ve been looking for a variety of source and now I’ve found it, so I can immediately resolve the problem that I am facing. thank you
I wish to have a serious relationship to settle down with someone special that will love me and take me as who I am.Am from california but i station in ft. chaffee army base but am currently deployed in afghanistan kabul on a mission will be back soon in some few weeks time.