NJ.Com -- Mario Alejandro was ready for a fight when he was part of the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003 as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Where he did not expect a fight was at Six Flags Great Adventure while taking his children there for a birthday party.
But due to the shirt that his family bought him for Father’s Day, a fight is exactly what the 33-year-old veteran from Woodbridge says he encountered while attempting to enter the theme park on Saturday.
Alejandro, who is a father of three and a former coach of the Cardinal McCarrick High School football team, served four years as a member of the Marine infantry.[...]
In June, Alejandro’s family gave him several shirts they had purchased from the The Reconnaissance Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps to support Recon Marines and their families, as a Father’s Day gift for him.
“I thought it was great, I loved it. The shirts fit my personality perfectly. They’re military and they’re patriotic. That’s my thing,” he said. “I wore them to all over the place, to my kids’ baseball games – everywhere. And I got nothing but compliments about how great they were. No one ever said they were offensive, because it’s obvious that they’re in support of the military and the United States.”
But Alejandro said this changed on Saturday when the black shirt he was wearing - with a red, white and blue machine gun and the words "Keep Calm and Return Fire" on the front and the logo and website for The Reconnaissance Foundation on the back - caught the attention of a security guard at the front gate.[...]
“I was walking in through the gate with my wife and kids, who were in front of me, when a security guard grabbed me and said: ‘I can’t let you into the park with that shirt on. That shirt’s offensive,’” Alejandro said on Tuesday. “I said that it’s not offensive, it’s a military shirt. I told him that I am an Iraq veteran… I served in the war. But he said: ‘I don’t care, you have to take that off… or you need to buy another shirt to put over it.’”
Alejandro said that when he refused to take the shirt off or buy a new shirt to cover it, the security guard told him to wait there while he checked with their supervisor.
“I saw him talk to two women in white shirts, who looked at me and then shook their heads. And then the man grabbed my arm and asked me to leave,” he said.
Entire column...
Blog author's comments - A huge number of people in this country have lost common sense. Mario Alejandro thank you for your service, I appreciate it and also respect your right to free speech. I don't see any problem with the man's shirt and must assume many of the people who work for Six Flags including the management are liberals and anti-gun.
Speaking of the guard at the gate..."And then the man grabbed my arm and asked me to leave,”... From the photo of Mr. Alejandro I don't believe if I were the guard and doing what he said and did that I would have put my hand on him. More than likely the security guard will be reprimanded and corporate will issue an apology and have a "policy clarification" for its employees.
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