Maybe it is just me, but I feel almost punched in the gut reading the story of Marines in dress uniform being kicked out of a Target store because they were suspected of recruiting! Gateway Pundit brings us the story originally published in the Pilot Online. CHESAPEAKE - Two Marines in their dress uniforms - the ones with white hats, khaki shirts and blue trousers with red stripe - say they were accused of recruiting at a Target department store here and told to leave.
"We weren't recruiting," according to Cpl. Carlos Rodriguez, 22, who said he returned in October from his second combat tour in Iraq. "I just popped in to say hi to a guy I went to high school with. He works there."
But an assistant manager who saw Rodriguez and the other Marine apparently thought otherwise and showed them the door, according to both servicemen.
Manager Brian Sherman, who was not in the Chesapeake South store Monday when the alleged incident happened, denied Friday that the Marines were ordered out. But he said he was told they were talking to employees.
"They were not asked to leave, in fact they walked around the store and continued to shop," Sherman said.
Target has a strict no-solicitation policy, he said.
Maybe I am a nut, but it seems to me that when you meet men and women who have chosen to serve our country in the Marines, men and women proudly wearing their dress uniforms, men and women who could and would face death to protect us, the only appropriate response in any normal circumstance is deference and respect. If one needs to talk to them for any reason, including possible violations of store policies for example, the assumption must be made that these warriors deserve the benefit of the doubt at all times. Be polite, be respectful, and go out of your way to see their side of things.
Obviously, accounts of the incident differ. So I would ask that Target look into it. But it seems to me that military customers in dress uniforms elevate the tone of any retail emporium. Target says that it supports many charities, including some supporting veterans. That's good, but more giving to those who have served might be even better.
Hat tip: Larwyn
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