Marine Won’t Graduate in Uniform After All

A young Marine who fought for the right to wear her dress blues to her high school graduation ceremony has decided to don a cap and gown like the rest of her class.

Pvt. Lindsay Starr, 17, finished her requirements at North Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh early and joined the Marines, according to KDKA-TV, the local CBS station. She finished boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., this month and returned to Pittsburgh on leave to walk with the rest of her class.

Then the controversy began: Starr wanted to wear her uniform for Friday night’s commencement ceremony, but the school said no.

“I'm just trying to show pride in what I belong to now," Starr told  KDKA. “I belong to the United States Marine Corps as a 17-year-old.”

School officials relented and said they would allow Starr to wear her dress blues after all, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said.

But Starr had a change of heart after talking with Marine Sgt. Lynn Kinney at the local recruiting station.

“We talked about what it means to be a Marne and understand policy and support government decisions,” Kinney told the paper. “She understands.”