Eric Fanning becomes first openly gay US Army Secretary
Just five years after the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ Eric Fanning has made history by becoming the United States’ first gay Army Secretary on Tuesday (May 17)
Fanning was nominated by Obama and and him coming in marks another historic moment for the Obama administration, NBC reports.
Fanning called his appointment a “tremendous honor” and said, “It has been a long process to get here, one that I don’t think even the writers from House of Cards could have scripted if they tried.”
The Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said that Fanning “embodies the kind of strong and steady leadership and civilian commitment to our men and women in uniform that have made our Military the finest fighting force the world has ever known.”
Fanning waited for eight months and served as Acting Secretary while the confirmation was put on hold because Governor Pat Roberts wanted assurance that the Obama administration wouldn’t move detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas after Obama’s decision to close the prison.
You can watch a video of Fanning getting sworn in below:
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