According to press reports, two former Marines wore their unmarked desert fatigues on a mock combat patrol in Washington in March to protest the fourth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. One of them was also cited for making a disrespectful comment to a military officer investigating the incident. A third Marine was accused of making disparaging remarks about the president.Though all three had been honorably discharged following combat tours in Iraq, the Marine Corps is contending that they still fall under military service regulations as members of the Individual Ready Reserve [...] An implied threat by the Marine Corps to lower their discharge ratings from honorable to general could negatively impact educational and other benefits they are eligible to receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as future employment opportunities that require security clearances.
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“Trying to hush up and punish fellow Americans for exercising the same democratic right we’re trying to instill in Iraq is not what we’re all about,” [Gary Kurpius, who leads the 2.4 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the U.S. and its Auxiliaries] said. “Someone in the Marine Corps needs to exercise a little common sense and put an end to this matter before it turns into a circus.”
The VFW can 't be accused of being a liberal bunch of commies, either.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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