Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway: If 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Is Repealed, We'll Follow Law

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2010 -- Gen. James T. Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps, says that if and when Congress repeals the don't ask, don't tell " law, "we will obey the law."

In the past, Conway has been outspoken in expressing his belief that the "don't ask, don't tell" law that bans gays from serving openly in the military should remain in place. Scheduled to retire next month, Conway told reporters at his final Pentagon briefing that if the law is repealed, "we will obey the law. "

Conway's opposition to repeal has put him at odds with President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen.

Today Conway cautioned Marines and Marine leaders that "if the law changes, we pride our Corps in leading the services in many, many things, and we're going to have to lead in this too." He said the difficulty will be in dealing with the "100 issues" raised by repealing the law "in terms of how we do business, and we cannot be seen as dragging our feet or in some way delaying implementation. We've got a war to fight, and we need to, if the law changes, implement and get on with it."

Asked how the Marines' stance on "don't ask, don't tell" differs from the other military services, he noted that when it comes to recruitment among the military services, the people who join the Marines are "a pretty macho guy or gal, that is willing to go fight and perhaps die for their country."

When it comes to looking at tight housing arrangements on ships or in the field for extended deployments Conway says his unofficial surveys lead him to believe that regardless of age, origin or rank, it is his sense that the average Marine has "pretty uniformly not endorsed (repeal of the ban) as the ideal way ahead."

"I just think all those things have impact on the Marines," he said. "And we'd just as soon not see it change. But again, we will follow the law, whatever the law prescribes."