Because of his uniform, the Marine was expelled from the Walmart store. What Followed Went Totally Viral!
In a touching and surprising turn of events, an incident at a Walmart store in Arizona made a Marine veteran and his wife the focus of a national discussion about respect, veterans’ rights, and business policy.
Retired Marine and decorated veteran John Harkness and his wife Lynn were parked outside a Walmart shop to gather money for the well-known Toys for Tots initiative. Under the leadership of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve,the organization gathers and gives toys to disadvantaged kids around the holidays, bringing happiness to a great number of families. Lynn and John, in his Marine uniform, had done this routine for years without any problems.But everything was different this year. A Walmart employee approached the pair and told them they were breaking the store’s rules and had to leave while extending a cordial greeting to customers and outlining the reason. John’s Marine uniform was the cause. The employee voiced concerns that the uniform would “intimidate” some customers and asserted that business policies forbade solicitation on the property unless pre-approved.
John and Lynn packed up their collection table and walked out of the store, stunned and ashamed. “What I was hearing was unbelievable,” John subsequently told reporters. “I have served my community and my country by donning this outfit. It seemed insulting and hurtful to be told that it was an issue. “We’ve done this for years without a single complaint,” Lynn continued, clearly disturbed. This was about the kids who rely on these donations, not simply about us.The pair was shown exiting the business in a video that a bystander who saw the exchange took and posted on social media with the description, “This is how we treat our veterans? requesting their departure for attempting to assist children?”
