The first American wounded in Iraq was a gay Marine. His buddies knew it as they rushed to his shattered body. Now, he wants the nation to know, as Congress weighs whether to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

In the early hours of the U.S. ground invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva's life changed forever: He stepped out of his Humvee and onto a landmine.

"There was a huge explosion, and black smoke and sand falling from the sky, and shrapnel flying," ...

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