World War II Veteran In California Marries Boyfriend

A World War II veteran in California has married his boyfriend of 20 years.

Usually when you think of World War II veterans, you likely picture some grizzled old fellow with tons of interesting stories that remind you that he’s seen more than you probably ever will. Most of us don’t picture one of them being gay, but it happened, and there are two of them in this story of happy endings (or beginnings if you will).

One such World War II veteran, 95-year-old John Banvard, has been with his boyfriend for 20 years. John Banvard’s boyfriend himself has military clout as well; 69-year-old Vietnam veteran Gerard Nadea sports some more recent war memories.

The two veterans tied the knot last Thursday at the Chula Vista Veterans Home, their place of residence for the last three years. The wedding followed what was simply a wait for the US Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8, a law that would ban gay and lesbian marriage. After it had become legal to do so, the couple proceeded to follow through in the direction of George Takei, making their gay partnership legal.

The World War II veteran in California and his Vietnam veteran partner wanted to be surrounded by friends during the ceremony, making it the first same-sex marriage to occur in the home.

Neal Asper, facility director at Chula Vista Veterans Home, stated that the idea was very controversial, but, as it was then legal at long last, he told the couple they have the right to be married as much as anyone else.

World War II veteran of California John Banvard said that he and his boyfriend were simply waiting on the Supreme Court to make the decision, but it was something they wanted to do for a long time.

When asked about the objections, Gerard Nadea stated, “Oh, that’s their problem, not mine, but you know what this will do; open the door for other people.”

The World War II veteran of California and his Vietnam veteran boyfriend are now officially a legal couple.