Is
it a case of girl trying to get by and crossing a line? Or is it
conduct unbecoming of a lesbian Marine, and the two male Marines who
married her and her girlfriend, in order to take advantage of the perks?

In
civilian life, people can marry for all sorts of reasons -- some of
them pecuniary -- without facing legal consequence, as long as one of
them is a woman and one a man.

But it’s a little different if a
marriage of fiscal convenience involves money doled out as a perk to
wedded couples by the Marine Corps, reported CNN on July 2.

Marine
Cpl. Ashley Vice and two male Marines face the possibility of prison
time, reduction in rank, and dishonorable discharge. Vice married
another Marine, Jeremiah Griffin, for a monthly housing stipend that she
used for a residence off the military base with her same-sex
significant other, Jaime Murphy.

Murphy also married a man in the
Marine Corps, Joseph Garner, CNN reported. All three Marines face
charges of fraud, conspiracy and adultery, the article said.

Vice
was up-front about it to the media, and says she was no less so with
the military. Getting married was the only way she was going to get
enough money to live off the base, Vice said.

"I honestly didn’t
even try to hide it," Vice told a San Diego CNN affiliate KGTV, the
article reported. "I just said this is what’s going on. They asked me
who Jaime is [and] I told them."

"There’s no conspiracy here,"
said Vice’s civilian girlfriend. "There’s no trying to steal from
anybody. We just wanted to be together and she wanted to serve her
country."

The Corps sees it differently -- as a matter of
servicemembers taking advantage of a housing stipend they didn’t have a
right to, even if they did officially tie the knot.

"The bottom
line is that every Marine knows if they violate the law, they will be
held accountable for their actions," a Marine spokesperson, 1st Lt.
Maureen Dooley, stated. "Regardless of sexual preference, we will hold
all Marines accountable to the same standards."

In all, the article said, the Marines received around $75,000.

A reporter for 10News spoke with Vice and Murphy and heard that it’s not uncommon for
servicemembers to marry in order to gain such perks. Moreover, the
reporter heard, "if gays in the military were allowed the same benefits,
they wouldn’t have to break the law," the June 30 10News article said.

When
asked whether it was worth the prospect of seeing Vice go to military
prison for a year and have to pay back the stipend money, Murphy told
10News that it was.

"Yeah, I would say yeah," said Murphy. "To be able to be with her everyday and live our lives,"

"Somewhat like a normal couple," interjected Vice.

Commentators at Marine-themed chat site Leatherneck.com expressed disdain for the female couple, as well as for all gay and lesbian servicemembers.

"A
sad commentary on the Marine Corps, and military in general," one
commentator posted. "Next the Corps will have to allow fags to wear WM
uniforms if they choose, and/or pay for sex change operations.

"I’m
afraid the proud warrior persona [sic] of the Marine Corps Grunt is
quickly fading," the post continued. "This touchy feelie, PC bullsh!t
DADT repeal will turn the proudest branch of the armed forces into
another Navy/Army/Air Farce ’Village People’ leaning sissified bunch of
mambie pambie girlie boys."

Wrote another, "This is just going to
be a case where the queers and queer lovers can claim they are being
denied their rights to marry whatever they want.

"I’m sure the
defense will be something like: ’If the Marine Corps had allowed them to
marry, they wouldn’t have had to conspire to get the housing
entitlements that traditionally married Marines are granted,’ " the
chart participant added. "I’m sure the poser-in-chief will be one of the
first to offer this as a defense."

A third put in, "Can everyone
see where this cluster **** is going? One of them is talking to CNN I
can see the ACLU and every fag lover in fruit and nut land jumping in,
followed by the gay federal judge that recently ruled against the same
sex marriage ban which will be closely followed by the gay/lez lovers in
the administration and congress and right behind them, the Corps will
quickly bail out."

At the CNN site, the posted remarks were less homogeneous.

"Why
is it just this couple" being prosecuted, wondered one commentator at
the CNN site. "I have friends in the service and after boot camp they
all wanted to get married ASAP due to the fact that the military pushes
hard for it with [incentives] like a lot more money for living.

"Even
better pay is you start pumping kids out ASAP," added the commentator.
"4 of my friends got married and had kids all within a year of meeting
their spouse just for the money was my take as they knew nothing about
their wife but they did get a really nice house with the money. A lot
nicer then the dormes [sic].

"I would of married also if I was
making as little as they do and told how much more I would make by
simply marring someone that I could easily devorse [sic] once I was out
of my milatary [sic] contract. Just makes sence [sic]."

Agreed a
second posting, "All someone [in the military] has to do is get married
and, presto, you can move out of the dorms and start collecting
housing."

"Well I was in the military and did serve my country,"
another responded. "The military provides a place to live for every
single one who serves. Once you get married or make rank you can get
your own place. Like the man said ’if you don’t like the rules, don’t
play the game’ What they did was dishonest. Period."

"Or, you
didn’t read the story," shot back another. "They said they never tried
to hide what they were doing. It is a BS bigoted rule, and they are
going to be poster children because of this, mark my words."

Another declared, "There will be more of this type of fraud if they allow gay marriage in the military."

To
that, a respondent answered, "No, schmuck, if they allow gay marriage
in the military, then the military will recognize their marriage, they
will receive the same benefits as any other married couple, and it will
not be fraud.

"In the meantime, good for them."