Transgender Marine deserter gets discharged

A transgender woman named Elizabeth Tremblay, who deserted the Marines 31 years ago when she was Pvt. Donald Tremblay, learned today she will get a discharge "with honorable conditions."

The Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal reports local authorities in Maine arrested Tremblay in September 2012 on the Marine Corps desertion charges. She was briefly held at the Androscoggin County Jail. Ever since her release, Tremblay has been waiting at her home in Maine to learn if she would face additional time behind bars.

Tremblay, 57, attended boot camp at MCRD San Diego and was based at Twentynine Palms in the early 1980s.

Navy veteran and law professor Tim Steigelman told the Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal he knew of few desertion cases that had dragged on so long:

“It’s a very unusual case."

What's interesting is that while Tremblay changed her first name from Daniel to Elizabeth 15 years ago, her social security number stayed the same.

I've posted video up top of the interview Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal reporter Daryn Slover conducted with Tremblay before she learned she would get her honorable discharge.

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