It was their FIRST KISS:

Gay marines in homecoming clinch reveal they fell in love online while one of them was serving in Afghanistan

• Sgt Brandon Morgan and Dalan Wells were reunited after six months apart

By Laura Cox
UPDATED: 06:41 EST, 29 February 2012

The gay marine whose homecoming kiss with his boyfriend went viral yesterday has revealed that their passionate embrace was the couple's first ever.

Sgt Brandon Morgan, of Oakdale, California, told Khon2.com how a four year friendship with Windward Oahu artist Dalan Wells turned to long-distance love while he was serving with the US Marines in Afghanistan. 


He said: 'We couldn't talk, I can barely talk now, his hands went numb, my legs were shaking, our first kiss after just knowing how we felt about each other'

Welcome home: Sgt Brandon Morgan's embrace with boyfriend Dalan Wells has gone viral in the blogosphere after it was posted on Facebook.

The iconic image of Sgt Morgan leaping into the arms of boyfriend Dalan Wells was taken by friend Dave Lewis and posted onto Facebook. 


Since going live on Saturday the photo has received thousands of comments and tens of thousands of 'likes' or shares.

 

















Shy: Dalan Wells (left) stopped off at Safeway on the way to meet Morgan at a Hawaii air base so he could buy him a carnation and pikake lei.


Morgan added: 'Most of the responses have been like oh my god I can't believe you're in love, congratulations. My mom's happy that I’m finally happy, my parents are ecstatic.'

'We were actually cornered in the supermarket this afternoon, like you're the famous guys aren't you?' Morgan said.

'We were at the commissary on base, we were just trying to get milk. Everybody says, 'oh you're a hero'. I'm not a hero. The heroes are the ones that paved the way for me, to allow me to do this.'


But not everyone has been so encouraging. Negative, anti-gay comments have been written on Facebook as well.

Morgan said; 'There are those who are going to take this the wrong way. Somebody called my mother and said 'what did you do to raise your son so wrong?'

'I can only hope no one does anything drastic or too crazy but I am not afraid. I lived my whole life in fear, I don't fear them anymore.'

Sgt Brandon Morgan and Dalan Wells told in a Khon2.com interview how they have been branded heroes in the gay community

Wells almost missed Morgan stepping off the plane because he was in Safeway buying a carnation and pikake lei to give his beau. But he made it to the hanger just in time for a huge welcome home smooch.

Despite Wells describing himself as a 'very shy, private person' the boys' have become role models within the gay community.

He said: 'If this saves one kid who says, you know look at this guy, he went and joined the Marine Corps, his life is great, then maybe that will give them the courage to hang on, and make it another day.'


The pair were separated for six months while Morgan was on tour with the Marines. Their reunion comes five months after the military's ban on openly gay service expired.

The ‘don't ask, don't tell’ policy that had banned openly gay men and women from serving in the US military ended last September.

Morgan and Wells follow in the footsteps of Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of California and Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell of Los Angeles who in December became the first lesbian couple to share the traditional home coming first kiss.

Tradition: Morgan and Wells' homecoming kiss comes after Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta (left) and Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell became the first lesbian couple to share the coveted kiss.

They were seen embracing on the pier at Virginia Beach, Virginia after their ship docked following an 80-day deployment to the Caribbean.

Speaking at the time of the kiss Snell said she believed their experience wouldn't be the last one for gays and lesbians in the military.

'I think that it's something that is going to open a lot of doors, for not just our relationship, but all the other gay and lesbian relationships that are in the military now,' she said.