Eric Alva
Eric Alva was born in San Antonio, Texas in December 1970. Upon graduation from high school in 1989, he attended community college for two semesters, but then decided to join the United States Marine Corps. After serving in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope, and ten years of being stationed in Japan and California, Alva was called upon to serve in the Iraq War.
In January 2003, in the build-up to the war, Alva’s unit, the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines, was deployed to the Middle East. His unit was among the first to cross the border of Kuwait into Iraq for the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Three hours into the ground war, near the city of Basra, his unit stopped to rest. While stepping out of his vehicle, Alva triggered a landmine. The violent explosion threw him 15 feet from the vehicle, and left him with a broken left leg; a torn open, severely nerve-damaged broken right arm; and a badly injured right leg that was later amputated. He had become the first American wounded in the war, and the war’s first Purple Heart recipient.
After 13 years of military service, retiring as a Staff Sergeant, Alva went back to college to finish his degree. While at school, he decided to be true to himself and help others, coming out as a gay man. On February 28, 2007, he joined Congressman Martin Meehan in introducing the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill designed to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. With this step, he openly admitted to the military and the world that he is gay, and one that had served and proudly sacrificed for his country. Alva took a courageous step towards fighting for the rights of LGBT Americans, and in particular, for those who have served and are serving in the military, but are unable to be true to themselves. His goal is to help achieve civil rights for all citizens of the United States.
Alva worked as the national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign and its fight to repeal the military’s now defunct discriminatory LGBT policy. Since coming out, he has been featured in media outlets, such as Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper 360°, Live with Paula Zahn, Newsweek, USA Today, and numerous other newspaper and radio stations across the country.
In December of 2010, Alva stood next to President Obama as he signed legislation repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Since the repeal, Alva now focuses on diversity in the work place, and by him speaking out against the military, he proved that no matter what diverse background an individual comes from, it is important to judge individuals on their merit and professionalism. He has spoken to numerous ERG’s (employee resource groups) and BPG (business partner groups) around the country. Alva has been to company’s such as Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, Raytheon, Sodexo, Pepsi Bottling Group, AOL, Union Pacific Railroad, and NASA. He speaks on the importance of diversity in the work place. As a Hispanic, disabled, Veteran and gay individual, Alva shares his story of his life and his experiences.
Among Alva’s awards and recognitions for his service is the 2003 Heroes and Heritage Award from La Raza, the 2004 Hero’s Among Us award from People magazine, the 2004 Patriot Award from the city of San Antonio, and the 2008 Public Citizen Award from the National Association of Social Workers. Alva is also the 2011 recipient of the Elizabeth Birch Equality Award, named for the former executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the LGBT community.
Eric graduated with his Master’s in Social Work in 2009 and continues to live in San Antonio with his two dogs Bo and Sandy; and continues to work towards Social justice.
Position
- Equity & Inclusion Leadership Team
The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leadership Team includes a diverse representation of voices from the disability community and will regularly meet to assess and create best practices through policy and programs. The group’s focus is on how Move United may better serve each person with a disability. Members are tasked with identifying the gaps and barriers in the Adaptive Sports community and are champions of necessary change. To learn more or contact members of the team, please email equity@moveunitedsport.org.
