Team UAP,
Thank you for your ongoing support for the MARSOC 3. You will never believe the injustice by the University of North Carolina and the presumption of guilt towards one of our Nation’s most decorated Warriors.
Mrs. Marti Gilmet is the mother of Chief Eric Gilmet. She asked me to share this personal message with you. Please take the time to read about this injustice and take action by contacting your Representatives.
FIGHT INJUSTICE – SUPPORT OUR WARRIORS
My son, U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Eric Gilmet, is a decorated Special Operations Medic with MARSOC (Marine Forces Special Operations Command).
Eric has always been my thoughtful, kind-hearted child. I always knew he would gravitate toward a medical career and was not surprised when Eric recently applied to the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill’s Graduate School.
During his senior year of high school, Eric was accepted by a major university in Michigan. His goal was medical school. A Navy recruiter visited his high school and told him of the advantages that serving his country would provide. Eric accepted. At the age of 18, my son volunteered to serve his country and he has honorably done so for 18 years.
His father and I set the foundation for what was to come, while the military helped Eric become the man he is today; a loving husband and father, a respected Warrior, and a devoted friend. He is disciplined, focused, and an asset to the military, his country, and family. He positively contributes in his daily work, and he exemplifies what it means to be a great Sailor, Medic, and comrade.
Our rights and freedoms are protected by the Servicemen and women who defend and sacrifice every day for our great country. My son is a trained lifesaver. The military has spent millions of dollars on his professional training.
He has also excelled in the classroom.
Over the last four years Eric has earned his bachelor’s degree. He accomplished this while working full-time for the U.S. Navy, including a deployment to the Middle East. How does a Navy Corpsman with 18 years of experience and a summa cum laude undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.94, not qualify for acceptance into a graduate program? Not only does he meet UNC’s program standards, he exceeds them.
UNC prejudicially rejected my son’s application based on allegations of crime he did not commit. They came to the conclusion that his “alleged behavior is more likely than not to pose a danger to members of the University community, University property, or the proper function of the academic process.” The notification came the day before classes started. The issue that the UNC is referring to are allegations regarding a crime that he has not even been to trial for, let alone been convicted of. Apparently, all it takes to be disqualified is to have an allegation thrown against you.
He not only earned a place in the UNC program, he deserves it. Eric is not, nor has he ever been, a threat to society in any way. Yet the school has deemed that he poses a threat to their community? That doesn’t seem logical considering the program is conducted entirely online. It is my understanding that in this country individuals are innocent until proven guilty.
This type of discrimination against my son should not stand. How many other Servicemembers are facing the same type of discrimination? It is time to demand change.
Please support my son, Chief Gilmet by contacting your Representatives to bring this injustice to their attention.
